The Jedi Adventure
by Spark Vallen
Summary: Luke Skywalker discovers the Force potential of several Unknown Regions sentient humans the story follows the journey of these Earthlike people on their quest to become Jedi Knights.
1. Chapter 1

**The Jedi Adventure**  
--sparkvallen  
_  
All Star Wars characters are -of course- copyrighted to Lucasfilm. I don't own them, in case you wondered. Other "RL" folk are borrowed with permission!_

Far beyond the Outer Rim stood the Unknown Regions… areas of space which had not been charted for a variety of reasons. From chaotic maws to spacers disliking the sheer emptiness where space was devoid of sentient life… the land beyond known space and Chiss territory was a mystery. There were pockets of sentients, solar systems whose sun did support life. So dramatically cut off from and far away from even the Outer Rim though, these lives were technologically backward and sociologically eons behind the known galaxy. Still, there was life. And there were Force users with untapped skill.

With that latter reality in mind, Jedi Master Luke Skywalker stared at a holomap of the known galaxy at the edge of the Outer Rim, comparing data against Chiss records he'd been able to procure on a previous mission to their homeworld. The blue-skinned, red-eyed Chiss had always been hostile toward the rest of the galaxy – humanoid and haughty with their self-described superiority, Luke was surprised he'd been able to obtain such data. He opted not to question his fortune in that area but instead focus on what the data told him as compared with his visions of the Unknown Regions. With eyes blurry from a lack of proper sleep, the sandy-haired Jedi Master walked through the holomap, tracing lines with his fingers as they pointed toward a particular system…

**College Campus**

"…_no_, to change this password, I need to see your student ID _or _your class registration and a photo ID," came Ebony's voice from her office.

Spark quirked her lip up in a knowing smile as she passed by Ebony's office and waved. It was another day in the trenches as the saying went. They both worked for a local university and both were involved with the computer accounts and daily access for the students. Ebony's work related to the accounts in particular while Spark sat in as the daily lab proctor. With it being the beginning of the term, they were both swamped and doing the best they could to remain sane and service-oriented.

Ebony nodded and smiled back at Spark as she passed by, then turned back to the student in front of her. Spark made her way to her desk which overlooked seventy or so computer stations. Signing in and punching in for her shift, she also quickly made contact with a long-distance friend, Sapharin, by computer. After exchanging their usual antics of greeting, Sapharin brought up one of her intuitions.

Just as Ebony and Spark were, Sapharin was highly intuitive and interested in developing a greater spiritual sense in her everyday life. While Ebony and Spark saw each other on a daily basis, they'd never met Sapharin face-to-face. Still, the connection between the three women was strong.

**Sapharin: **Something big is going to happen today… I feel it in my bones.

**Spark: **Big how?

**Sapharin: **Not sure yet… something though. I don't think it relates just to me either. Might have some involvement for you? Not sure. Be mindful today!

**Spark: **I will… man, it's swamped here already…

**Sapharin: **hugs to you and Ebony

**Spark: **Thanks…

**Sapharin: **brb – someone's at the door

**Spark: **kk

**Sapharin's Apartment**

Standing up from her seat at the computer, Sapharin turned and walked over to the front door. She ran through a mental list of possible people who'd be paying her a visit… and came up blank. _Who would be at my door right now_? she wondered. With a shrug, she stood on tip-toe and looked through the peep hole. The man on the opposite side of the door was unfamiliar but instinctively, she felt no danger in opening the door to greet the gentleman.

"Hello, can I help you?"

"Sapharin?" Taller than Sapharin by over a foot and light-skinned with a dark brown beard and hair, the man radiated calm and compassion from every pore and how he'd asked her identity.

She felt nothing odd at the stranger knowing her name for some reason. "I am Sapharin, yes. You are…?"

"My name is Corran Horn. I've come to speak with you about something important. May I come in?"

Sapharin's first thought was of her family – had something gone wrong? Corran noted the lines on Saph's brow from momentary stress and was quick to speak.

"There's nothing wrong, Sapharin. It is an important matter but not one of harm."

"How did you--?" she started to ask.

"That is what I wish to speak to you about, as a matter of fact," Corran replied.

With an inward shrug, guided by her own instincts, Saph let Corran in and had him sit down on the sofa. She was a gracious hostess, offering the stranger some of her coffee which he referred to –curiously- as stimcaf. She didn't know that word but shrugged it off, eager to here what this Corran had to say.

**College Campus**

At the very same moment that Saph was welcoming Corran Horn into her apartment, a similarly drab garbed man approached Spark at her desk. He was sandy-haired and by Spark's estimate, several years older than her. She fully expected him to be a returning student or a grad student coming to inquire how to use the lab, based on experience as a proctor.

"Hello. I'm looking to speak to a Spark and an Ebony. Do you know if they're working today?" he asked politely.

Spark cocked her head to the side, studying him more closely. _Not a student then – they'd ask for Ebony, but not me… who is he then? _

"I'm Spark. Ebony is tied up with students right now—" That was no lie; she could hear Ebony down the hall and knew that she'd sent people down to her office. "—what can I help you with?"

As the man turned to survey the lab, Spark realized she saw a particular item on his belt that she'd never thought she could ever truly _see_. Her eyes widened as she looked back up at him with dawning recognition. _This has to be a joke. It has to be!_

"It would be better if we could speak in private," he said, looking back at Spark. He saw her astonished expression and paused.

"You're Luke Skywalker, aren't you?" she barely whispered.

With his nod, Spark ran around her desk and down the hall to pull Ebony from her office.

**Sapharin's Apartment**

About the same time that Spark was realizing she was speaking to Luke Skywalker, Sapharin's mind was reeling with the dawning awareness that she too was speaking to a real Jedi. It took everything in her not to start dancing around. Or faint. Or both. The more Corran had explained who he was, why he was there and the details of his mission, the more Saph thought she must be dreaming.

"This is no dream," Corran said sagely, again glimpsing her thoughts. "You broadcast pretty loudly, you know that?"

"So I've been told," she answered wryly. "Now… forgive me for thinking this is all too good to be true, but… why me? Why are you here, really?"

With the patience of years as a Jedi Knight, Corran locked his gaze on Sapharin's dark brown eyes. "Sapharin… there are many of us on this mission, stopping in at particular locations across your world and making contact with potential Jedi. You are one among many who are being contacted. I'm surprised you would ask why you in particular though," he said. "From what I sense of you, your talents are recognized and semi-developed. You know who and what you are."

"Yes, but—"

"We know there are others," Corran repeated. "And they're being spoken to at the same time."

Giddy with anticipation and curiosity, she asked, "But what do you _want_?"

**College Campus**

It had taken a bit of work to extract Ebony from her desk and her duties. Where it was easy for Spark to simply put up her "on break" sign, Ebony had to arrange for the students who waited in line. After a few minutes of speaking with her office colleagues and shifting the line of students one door down, Ebony, Spark and Luke made their way outdoors. Ebony led their small party down to the pond on the campus where picnic tables and benches provided a place to sit.

All Ebony could think of was her comments to Spark's interest in the fictional Jedi and the Force: _I'm not into Star Wars, but I believe in energy_. She felt a little dumbstruck too that fiction could be truly reality in more ways than she'd ever considered. Ebony had many questions related to just that that she hoped to ask.

"This must be a great surprise to you both," Skywalker began, looking from Ebony to Spark. "From what we have already learned, your world seems to be aware of the Jedi Knights and the New Republic… even though to you, we are but fiction."

Spark shook her head in amazement. "How is that? Do you know?"

"No… the fact that we'd exist in your media and fiction is astonishing though. I can only say that the Force works in mysterious ways. Perhaps you were being prepared for our eventual arrival," Luke suggested.

Spark and Ebony exchanged knowing glances.

Luke continued, "We have come—"

"We?" Ebony interrupted.

"Ah, sorry. _We _refers to the team of Jedi I'd hand-picked to make the long journey to your system and planet in the hopes of seeking out those with the potential to become Jedi themselves. While I am speaking with you, there are a handful of Knights across your planet who are also in conversation with other likely candidates."

Spark's jaw dropped, thinking of the various intuitive people she knew either in person or by virtue of technology that could qualify as "candidates."

"These candidates… we're hoping will be willing to uproot the lives they've known and travel with us to Yavin IV, the home of our Jedi Academy—"

"Where you set up shop in one of the Massassi Temples. We… well, I know that much," Spark interrupted, speaking quickly. She'd just been reading of this reality in paperback! "Are you serious!"

**Sapharin's Apartment**

"We wouldn't be here if we weren't serious, trust me," Corran replied, thinking of the weeks long journey they'd all endured aboard the transport. Charting the path by their Force senses alone had been difficult and demanding.

"I… alright. You're saying you want me to pick up my life and become an actual Jedi?" Sapharin could hardly believe her ears. This was what she and so many others had always dreamed but she'd never imagined that it could ever be reality!

"That's right."

Saph's mind was whirling with possibilities. To be free of this apartment… to have a fresh start as the person she'd always dreamed of being…

"What about our family _here_?" she asked.

Corran's expression was guarded. "For now, you'd have to go alone. That was the one fallback in this mission – the transport we needed in order to navigate such chaotic space is only large enough to contain the Jedi hopefuls and our own team… Just a moment."

From his belt, Corran produced what he explained to Saph was a comlink, a sort of walkie-talkie.

"Master Skywalker… Luke, it's Corran. I'm with Sapharin and have a question for you."

Saph barely heard the exchange when she heard Corran address Luke Skywalker. Her blood was pounding so loudly in her ears, she thought she was deaf from shock!

Corran looked back to Sapharin. "Master Skywalker says that if your family will also choose to relocate to known space, they will be given that option and opportunity once we've arrived on Yavin IV. It's a trickier situation because of the space lanes and the need for focus as a Jedi Trainee, but accommodations will be made for family at a later time."

Sapharin nodded. "I'm… definitely going with you. But… I do need to speak to my family and let them know. You're not – you don't want me to jump immediately, do you?"

Corran shook his head. "No. We understand the shock that this is for all of you. This is a little different from finding Jedi candidates in known space where the reality of the Jedi Knights is… reality. I'll stop by tomorrow morning to speak with you again."

**College Campus**

After fully explaining the mission the Jedi were on, the opportunity and the drawbacks (where family was concerned), Luke also left Spark and Ebony the time to make their decision and choices. The two friends walked back toward the computer lab slowly, recovering from their initial shock.

"I'm doing this," Spark said confidently. "This has been my dream since childhood."

"This… sort of idea is amazing," Ebony admitted, "but do you really think you could leave behind everything here? Really?"

Spark made a face. "All my life, I've joked that I've waited for the _Millenium Falcon _to take me 'home.' This is that once-in-a-lifetime chance. To be the Jedi I've always said I am… I know this is different for you, Ebony, because you aren't into _Star Wars _and all of that like Saph and I have been. I… what are you thinking about this?"

Instead of answering directly, Ebony said, "I wonder if Saph was also one of their candidates?"

Spark nodded emphatically. "When Luke got that comlink transmission… I'm _sure _that's where the speaker was 'calling' from. I'd bet on it."

Ebony sighed, thinking. She knew how important this was to Spark and would be to Sapharin. "I have to think on this… and see where my intuition guides me," was all she could say.

Back in the lab, Spark bolted for her computer, eager to get in contact with Saph. She prayed that her instincts were right and that the man who'd spoken to Luke was indeed at Sapharin's apartment. She wouldn't have known how she could face her friend if Saph wasn't one of their chosen too!

**Spark: **You back?

**Sapharin: **in shock I'm here…

**Spark: **Are you in shock for the same reason I am?

**Sapharin: **I think so… the Jedi are real, Spark.

**Spark: **I know. Thank goodness you were contacted to.

**Sapharin: **What're you going to do?

**Spark: **What do you think? grin

**Sapharin: **Same as me then. Jedi Horn is coming back tomorrow morning to hear of my final decision.

**Spark: **Any doubts?

**Sapharin: **No… I just need to put things in order with my family.

**Spark: **Understood. **LUKE **is granting the same for me and Ebony.

**Sapharin: **faints Ebony too? Did she say yes?

**Spark: **She's thinking about it.

**Sapharin: **nods I hope she seizes this opportunity.

**Spark: **Me too. G2G for now – I'll see you on the transport off this rock, huh?

**Sapharin: **Can you believe this?

**Spark: **No… not one bit.

Spark and Ebony stood side-by-side. Each carried a single travel bag of clothing, small mementoes of home and toiletries; the morning after the first contact with the Jedi, the Knights had given them suggestions on what to pack. The two friends were filled with nervous energy as they stood behind Luke Skywalker at the transport. All around them were other small groups of Jedi hopefuls that had been contacted. Spark scanned the crowd, trying to see who she might recognize from her online adventures. She gasped and squealed with glee to see Sapharin standing behind a Jedi dressed in green robes. They waved to each other but knew that the face-to-face greeting would have to wait while Skywalker prepared to address the entire party. Spark continued to seek out familiar faces, and smiled with delight when she saw Falco Volt too.

A hush fell over the assembled grouping when they sensed an energy shift. Skywalker glanced around the circled group of Jedi Knights and hopefuls, a smile on his features.

"Greetings everyone. From what I've learned, you already know that I am Luke Skywalker, Jedi Master and leader of the Academy stationed on Yavin IV."

There was a smattering of cheers and applause.

"You also know why you are here, by now. Look around you. These are your fellow trainees; fellow Jedi apprentices who have decided to take a step into a much larger universe. I can imagine how exhilarating this must seem right now as you embark on a new journey… one that you never dreamt possible. It's important for you to remember that _your _skills to this point brought you here. Your interests in spirituality and… even fiction—" Luke winked at that truth, "—made your energy notable to us through the Force.

"This will be a challenge, a quest and not as simple as you might think. The trials of becoming a Jedi may be more difficult than you anticipate for all that you knew as fiction was not necessarily the reality we've lived. I wish you welcome and a congratulations as you begin your training. May the Force be with you."

A boulder could have dropped in front of Skywalker at that point and none of the Jedi hopefuls would have noticed. They stared and trembled in awe at the reality of what was happening in their lives. The Jedi Knights paused, allowing them to take in the moment then began individually providing instructions for how they'd all manage inside the relatively small transport for the journey back toward Yavin IV. Training would begin immediately with instruction in Jedi meditations and the mindset of the Jedi, small group instruction led by the various Knights and Skywalker himself.

As they broke up and prepared to board, Ebony and Spark darted over to Sapharin, embracing her in a tight bear-hug.

"It's YOU!" Spark giggled, unable to control herself.

"It's me!" Saph laughed back.

"Um… don't I get a hug too?" came a distinctly male voice.

Spark turned and threw herself at the person she knew had to be Falco Volt. "Of course you do," she whispered against his chest. "I am so glad to see you here!"

"Wha--? Like you thought I wouldn't be here?" he teased. "Like I wasn't Jedi enough to… train to be a Jedi? Wait, that doesn't make sense, does it? Um, anywho…"

Corran hadn't kidded Sapharin when he'd said the transport was small. There were over a dozen trainees on this journey, some that the four friends recognized, others that they did not. The transport was cramped with not enough berths for the Jedi Knights and the new students. Spark, Ebony, Sapharin and Falco ended up taking up a corner in the small common area of the shuttle by camping out on the floor with their travel bags. They chatted animatedly, often talking over each other as they told their stories of how they'd been "discovered" by the Jedi.

Falco explained his history.

"Well, see… I was working, okay? I had just finished installing these drives at a company that was _known _for its own computer repair business. Go figure, huh? And so… I was walking out and all the sudden, boom, there's this Jedi standing in front of me! Said his name was Kam, and I was like, 'Hey, I know you from the books and stuff!' and he was like, 'So I am aware. I'm here to teach you to be a Jedi. Interested?'"

Having known Falco by the computer only, Spark and Sapharin giggled as he told his story. He spoke just how he'd always written of his life. It was wonderful.

"So, of course, I about fell over myself trying to get to my car and get out of there. What kind of weirdo would say he was Kam Solusar right? I figured it had to be a joke… or something. But no! He talks to me and tells me all about their mission to find us, and I was like, 'Wow. You really want me to be a Jedi?' You know… I thought about it long and hard for like three seconds before telling him sure." Falco laughed, then added, "I just hope I don't get lost, ya know, piloting around the galaxy or something. I have enough trouble finding my way around with a map for work!"

Spark looked at Ebony. Though she knew her friend was familiar with the fiction, it hadn't been an obsession for her like it was for Saph, Falco or herself. Nudging her, she whispered, "Y'alright?"

Ebony gave her a cheery smile. "Just peachy! I'm just… taking all of this in and trying to convince my brain this is reality."

"Tell me about it."


	2. Chapter 2

**The Jedi Adventure – Chapter**  
--sparkvallen

_As usual, Lucasfilm owns any of the regular Jedi folk and characters/places you'd find in Star Wars. I have permission to borrow on the likenesses of everyone else!_

It became readily apparent to the Jedi Knights that schooling in the ways of the "rest" of the galaxy was needed before the new trainees were going to be able to absorb the Jedi Way. As Sapharin had learned in her own apartment, there were items similar to what they were all familiar with… but with very different names. Instead of coffee, there was a stimcaf – or caf – brewer in the galley. The fact that their native tongue was spoken by the Jedi was also curious, though they referred to the language as Basic as compared with other tongues they would someday hear. Several hours were spent in labeling items in Basic to learn the language where it differed before the trainees were able to begin.

Still, it wasn't easy. Only days into their hyperspace journey aboard the cramped shuttle and many of the Jedi hopefuls were second-guessing their decision.

"This was a bad idea…" Ebony's voice was strong and determined in her comment.

Z'Trooper and Spark looked up at her. Everyone sat so close together, their knees were touching. Z'Trooper had been another trainee discovered on their homeworld – a friend of Spark's and Ebony's, they'd missed each other when they'd all boarded the shuttle but found one another a short time into the journey with some surprise.

"A bad idea? How can you think that?" Z'Trooper replied.

Ebony shook her head. "Mom's back home… the rest of my family… how could I be so selfish to go and leave them?"

Before either Z'Trooper or Spark could respond, Joni sat down beside the trio with a plate of –what was to them- exotic foods. He waved the foreign but tantalizing items before them with a smile. "Ebony, you're on a fantastic new journey, my friend. There are bound to be some 'funny feelings' about this, of course. Think of who you'll be though when you return to your family!"

Ebony favored him with a cynical stare. "How many of us will be returning, Joni? Honestly? Would _they_—" She pointed toward the cockpit where many of the Jedi were in conference, "—have come for us if they wanted us to then return to our own… homeworld with this new awareness or whatever they have planned?"

Z'Trooper offered Joni a wry grin. "Best not to argue with her. Trust me on that."

Ebony just stared at him and Z'Trooper looked away.

Spark admitted, "I'm trying to think of this as being no different than if I'd gone away to college. If I'd gone where I had wanted to… I wouldn't have seen friends or family I'd known in my own area for a long time."

Sapharin – who'd been silent through most of the exchange as she thought of the life she too had left behind – snatched up a snack that Joni had brought them and chewed thoughtfully. "Jedi Horn did tell me that our family would be able to join us… or that accommodations would be made for them… on a very soon return trip to our world. Maybe the separation won't be as long as we're thinking right now."

Ebony nodded, her gaze distant on the bulkhead across from them.

The Jedi who had found Falco – Kam Solusar – slowed as he passed by the group huddled there in the common area. He listened for a moment to their conversation, his eyes trailing from one trainee to the next.

"You're going to find that many ideas you've clung to will be unlearned with the training. Right now, you fear the attachments you've had all your lives. Which is understandable. With time however, you'll see that the Jedi Way offers you a deeper connection to those you love."

Everyone looked at eachother, mostly mystified by Kam's unattainable guidance.

"With time," he admitted, "that'll make more sense."

As Joni launched into his thoughts on the Jedi Way as they were seeing it truly in action (instead of in fiction), Ebony stood and excused herself from the discussion. She glanced at Spark and encouraged her to stay put, then did the same for Z'Trooper. They nodded and tuned into what Joni was saying. Sapharin – though she was intrigued by her friend's ideas on the reality of the Jedi as they could observe it now – decided that Ebony could use a friend, for all that she'd suggested the other two should stay put. Excusing herself as well, she followed Ebony.

"I'm with you that this is hard…"

Ebony had been staring at nothingness, sitting in an open seat in the galley. She turned her brown eyes on Sapharin's and raised an eyebrow.

"I miss my family too."

"I keep thinking that I've made the wrong choice, Saph. That I should've just stayed where I was. Too late now, though, hm?" Ebony said.

Sapharin nodded. "For many of us, this is a dream come true. Since you weren't all that of a fan to begin with, you probably don't have the same sense of awe which is understandable. We _will _get back home though."

"I know."

"And in the meantime, you've got your best friends here to help you through this." She reached out and put a hand over Ebony's.

Ebony smiled wanly. "I'll be alright… this is just a lot to get used to."

**Shuttle cockpit**

"I'm beginning to wonder if we've made the right decision in this, Luke." Kam Solusar's scarred and battle-worn face was full of concern as he sat in the navigator's seat, angling the chair to look at the Jedi Master.

Luke's blue eyes searched Kam's face. "Explain."

"Already, the new hopefuls are anxious and distressed at being away from their homeworld. I wonder if we made a mistake in going to the Unknown Regions for these to-be Jedi."

Luke's expression was serene despite the tension he too had felt aboard the shuttle. He folded his hands in his lap as he considered Kam's comments. "You wonder if it's too much for them to know that their fantasy _is _reality? If the truth that the galaxy is much larger and grander than they could have dreamed is too much?"

"That… and whether these fears they feel will hamper their ability to train."

The Jedi Master knew that Kam was thinking of other trainees who'd fallen to the Darkside because of fears they carried within. And those persons had come from the known galaxy and had easier access back "home."

In a quiet voice, Skywalker said, "You know as well as I that we were drawn to these dwellers of the Unknown Region for their Force signatures. They were a beacon across space, calling to us."

"I realize that, Luke. Even so…"

Luke shook his head, certain that his visions and the strength of their raw Force potential were signs. "We'll be cautious with them and give these new students time to adjust, certainly. But I feel that we were meant to find them and train them."

Kam had only wished to alert Luke to the fears that he was hearing, if the Master weren't already aware. With that, he nodded and set his gaze on the starlines outside the cockpit's viewport.

**Yavin IV – Jedi Academy**

After what seemed like an eternity aboard the shuttle, the Jedi and their trainees finally reached the jungle moon dubbed Yavin IV. As the hatch opened to morning on the humid moon, the trainees burst from the recycled air of the ship and onto the landing pad with their belongings.

"Oh. My. Gosh. This is so Yavin IV!" Falco exclaimed.

Everyone else echoed Falco's exclamation as they stared up at the massive Massassi trees and the incredible Great Temple that loomed past the landing pad. People huddled in the groups they'd formed even before the shuttle journey. In particular, Ebony, Spark, Sapharin, Falco, Joni, and Z'Trooper stood together, staring in wonder at their surroundings.

Skywalker came down the ramp from the shuttle and made his way through the clusters of new students to stand before them. His backdrop was the Great Temple itself with its earthy stonework pointing high in the sky.

"Oh behalf of all of us and the New Republic itself, welcome to Yavin IV," he said. "I know that this place is very familiar to you from the imaginations of your homeworld. I'd even go so far as to guess that for some of you, you'd know your way around the grounds and the Temple as well as I do."

This brought a chuckle from several of the diehard fans. Silently, Kam, Corran and the other Jedi hosts stepped in line beside Luke.

"Today, we'll have you get settled and officially learn your way around the Great Temple where we live and train," Luke explained. "The day will be yours to begin to get acclimated to the academy. Tomorrow, we'll begin the actual group work and study of the Jedi Arts."

A pin could have dropped and everyone would have heard its noise as silent as the trainees were. The only sound that could be heard was that of the native jungle creatures rustling in the trees and foliage. When there was a voice heard, it was Joni's in a whisper: "Everyone… you've taken your first step into a larger universe…"

There were smiles in reply, everyone knowing the source and significance of the comment.

Skywalker and the Jedi Knights led the newly transported students along the jungle path that led toward the clearing before the Great Temple. Once there, Kam was the one to speak on the dormitory arrangements within the Temple. Of the multiple levels inside, the third and fourth floors were designated specifically as sleep quarters, small Spartan apartments. As they proceeded inside, people picked out their rooms within close proximity to one another. With this all being so new, it was clear that they weren't ready to be separated. Spark, Ebony and Sapharin opted to take one of the largest rooms and bunk together as roommates. Falco, Joni, and Z'Trooper took rooms just across the hall, all three in a row. The other students who'd traveled with them filled up rooms along that third floor corridor and above them on the fourth.

After a supper of exotic, flavorful stew and fresh bread, the trainees settled in for the night. They'd all been provided with the plain light-colored tunic and pants with their own Jedi robes, another dose of reality that set many of them to giggling. As night fell over Yavin IV, most everyone opted to make an early evening of it with their first day of actual Jedi training to commence in the morning.

Dawn. Loud raps on the doors of the students' apartments signaled that the day would begin early. The evening before, the trainees had been assigned their Jedi teacher with whom they'd study for the duration in small groups. Spark was thrilled that the friends she'd known for so long were also her fellow trainees… all together under Master Skywalker.

Spark beamed at Sapharin and Ebony in their off-white outfits, the very clothing of Jedi that they knew so well.

"Can you believe this is _us_?"

"Not at all," Saph admitted, with an as wide grin.

Ebony seemed more refreshed and at ease with her environment now that they were off the shuttle and had had a decent night's rest in their shared apartment. She tied back her brown hair highlighted with caramel hues and looked ready for the day.

"You two ready?" she asked.

Sapharin and Spark nodded eagerly. The trio made their way down the turbolift to the grounds outside the main temple as they'd been instructed. Their smiles grew ever wider as they saw Joni, Falco and Z'Trooper standing in their own Jedi garments – the sight was rather surreal. Z'Trooper did a little "ta da!" pirouette for them which brought about laughter again.

The morning was cool and damp, making them glad for their robes. Luke joined the trainees there at the base of the Great Temple and bowed. They followed suit and returned the gesture.

"Have a seat," he instructed.

Rather than sit in the dewy grass, the trainees opted for the outcroppings of the structure, sitting down on the chilly stones.

"Close your eyes and simply listen to nature all around us here," Luke said in a hushed voice. "Focus on what you hear and the beat of your own heart. Clear your mind of all thoughts… Should you think at all, note the thought and then let it go…"

For Spark, it was easy to let conscious thought drift away and be carried by the foreign sounds of creatures scuttling about the jungle. She could even hear how the cool morning wind rustled the smaller leaves though she endeavored to not _think _about what she was hearing.

"As you feel calm and peace settle within, you begin to touch the Force consciously," came Skywalker's voice. He spoke softly, his words not being intrusive to the meditative calm the trainees were reaching. "The Force is all around you, within each of you. The Force guides our instincts and grants us awareness and gifts beyond what's considered 'normal'…"

For how long Luke had the trainees remain in that meditative state, they never knew for certain. He guided them back to full consciousness with his words. Everyone blinked at the bright sunlight of day. They'd discovered that he had placed a small rock before each of them, down in the grass.

"Now that you know how to feel the Force consciously, I'd like you to touch it on your own," he instructed. "You need not meditate. The feeling is the same if you clear your mind of thoughts and simply concentrate on feeling the Force. When your connection is strong, reach out with your mind to the rock in front of you and lift it with your mind."

Z'trooper was the first to make his rock levitate, bringing it a few feet off the ground. He breathed a soft "Woohoo!" at his success. Following his achievement was Sapharin, then Joni and Ebony – for their rocks, they bobbed up and down unsteadily at first before becoming more steady in their hold.

They heard a panicked "Uh-oh" which was the only warning before Falco's rock shot up from its spot in the grass like a missile. It went sailing into the trees some distance away. He stared at the Jedi Master in horror and fumbled an apology.

"You were just a little enthusiastic, Falco," Luke joked. "Here. Try it again and focus on moving the rock _slowly_."

While Falco repeated the process a second time before getting his third rock under control and the others continued to experiment by raising and lowering their rocks with the Force, Spark stared with mounting frustration at hers.

"Master Skywalker, I think my rock is broken," she said, attempting to make light of her evident failure.

Luke reached out with the Force to study Spark as she tried again to levitate the rock in front of her. He could clearly feel her energy and felt how she was reaching out properly toward the rock, but…

"You must experience the force in the same way that Corran does," Luke decided, referring to the Jedi Knight who had first come to Sapharin's doorstep. "Your gifts must lie in another area than telekinesis, to put it simply."

Spark's face drooped at this news.

Seeing her expression, Luke quickly added, "That only means that your gifts must lie in other areas of Force use, Spark."


	3. Chapter 3

**The Jedi Adventure – Chapter 3**  
--sparkvallen

_As usual, Lucasfilm owns any of the regular Jedi folk and characters/places you'd find in Star Wars. I have permission to borrow on the likenesses of everyone else!_

With the exception of Spark's trouble with levitation, the trainees flourished under Skywalker's eclectic instruction in the Jedi Arts. The Jedi Master requested their presence at all odd hours of the day and night, sometimes summoning them in the wee hours to sit atop the great Massassi Temple for meditation in the darkness. There was no understandable pattern to his training style, but the students adapted nevertheless.

One such particular night, Skywalker had summoned the trainees to the jungle paths far beyond the landing pad. He led them single-file in their bedclothes out to one of the many rivers that traversed the jungle moon. As people sat beside the slow-moving waters, Luke spoke to them of the Jedi's Code.

"For a Jedi, there is no emotion. There is peace. There is no ignorance. There is knowledge. There is no passion. There is serenity. There is no death. There is the Force…"

Sapharin smiled in the darkness at Spark, feeling chills up and down her spine at hearing those words actually spoken as tenets of belief. Joni and Falco found their minds' lulled by Luke's words, taking them to heart. Further down the line of students from them, Z'Trooper and Ebony frowned at the code.

It was Ebony, naturally, who spoke up. "There are no such absolutes in life," she said.

Z'Trooper agreed, contributing, "To say that a Jedi has no passion… are we supposed to be robots? Droids? Devoid of feeling at all but still willingly helping others? That's a paradox if I ever heard one."

Falco looked as though to speak, feeling the tides of the Force rippling with their words, but hesitated. He stared out at the river with a frown creasing his brow. Falco expected Luke to respond to them instead, but when he didn't, the silence became too much.

"It's not like we're drones, you know," he said. "It's what… what we're aiming to be, right? To be at peace and to have knowledge. Rather than being full of emotion or turmoil and totally ignorant!"

Sapharin and Spark chuckled softly in the darkness – Falco couldn't have said it better, they thought.

"I'm sorry but I feel passionate about my interests and my family," Ebony replied. "And that makes me less of a Jedi?"

"So am I, Ebony, so am I," Sapharin said, surprising herself by speaking up. "But… maybe the Code means not to take things to extreme. To love, but not be blinded by it. What do you think?"

Matter-of-factly, Z'Trooper replied, "Then why not speak the code in that way then?"

Luke leaned back against a tree at the bank of the river, listening as the apprentice's worked this out on their own. He saw no need to interrupt or guide the conversation. They were learning well enough without his interference.

Joni smiled. "Why ask why, Z'Trooper? Can't it just _be _as it is and you come to terms with it individually?"

Z'Trooper bristled for a moment before slowly working out the immediate tension as he'd been recently trained. The frustration melted away just as the river flowed past their legs. "I only meant that you should say what you mean clearly. Believe me, I like absolutes. It's how I think. But it needs to be realistic."

Having verified what he knew of fiction against what was reality on Yavin IV and this edge of the galaxy, Falco took a stab at that. "Out here… this is realistic, you know? Like… the Jedi that preceded Master Skywalker weren't allowed relationships. Or family. For them, the Code meant that there were no attachments. Love as we know it was forbidden if you were a Jedi. So… to have this as an ideal makes a lot more sense, at least to me, than saying, 'Hey you – I don't care that you came from a life with a family. Now you're going to be attachment-free' ya know?"

Stubborn, Z'Trooper said, "But still…"

Meanwhile, Ebony had fallen silent, piecing over the insight and context that Falco had shown with his understanding of the Jedi Code. While she was quickly learning to apply the Force as Luke had been teaching them, this philosophical angle on the Jedi practices frustrated her. What Falco said made sense, but like Z'Trooper, she was thinking _But still… _

Luke interjected one truth to their conversation. "Right now, the Jedi Code is a set of words that you have just learned. They're theory until you're fully walking the path and can _feel_ their truth. Once you're off Yavin IV and living as a Jedi, I guarantee you that those words will be close to your heart indeed."

Joni contemplated that message and thought back to the religious strife that they'd left behind on their homeworld. "Master Skywalker… is the Jedi Code the _law _or a _guideline _for the to-be Jedi to follow?"

Sapharin softly said, "Hmmm" as she pondered the question herself.

"It is neither. As Falco said, the Jedi of old would have considered it a law to be followed to the letter. How this era of Knights approaches the Code _is _different. It is personal and heart-felt. Like the Force, it helps to guide how you see the world."

"So it's not required to be believed?" Ebony asked.

Luke hesitated, sensing they were on tricky ground with the line of questions. "What is important is that you have a personal connection to the Force. That is all. The Jedi Code exists as a tool, a mantra even that helps you to focus your mind and heart on the Force and its guidance."

Ebony nodded, seemingly satisfied with that interpretation.

"That is all for tonight. Let the words sink in, and over time, we'll discuss this and see what you've come to understand…"

With that, the Jedi Master disappeared into the darkness of the jungle, leaving the trainees to sit alone at the bank. Spark's attention went toward feeling the life of the jungle through the Force as they'd been working on. Where she wasn't telekinetically skilled at all, Spark did have an aptitude for sensing other life in the Force.

"We should be on our way too," she said suddenly. "There are hungry critters out and this is their nightly domain."

Reaching into the Force individually, the other trainees affirmed Spark's warning. Single-file and walking quickly, they made a steady retreat toward the Temple.

* * *

Late into the night, Sapharin, Ebony, Spark and Joni sat in the common room where dinner had been served hours before. The topic of the Jedi Code had faded for the time being as the trainees' thoughts drifted back to family and friends back home.

"I wonder what life is like without us there," Spark mused.

"They're probably throwing parties endlessly," Sapharin joked, winking back at her.

Joni chuckled then said, "Focusing on this comes to no productive end. As Jedi, we must forego attachments."

Ebony looked over at him as though he'd grown a second head. "So you're saying I shouldn't wonder how my family is doing. Or how my mother is without having regular interaction with her."

Joni met her stare evenly. "What good does it do you?"

Ebony gave an exasperated sigh. Though she was enjoying learning this new philosophy and way of "being," she did miss her family terribly. Looking away from Joni and back to the other women, she asked, "Doesn't it bother you to be away from home?"

Spark regarded her a moment and said softly, "You know my answer to that."

She could only nod as Sapharin did before giving her opinion.

"I do miss my fiancé and _some _aspects of my old life… but this feels so much more purposeful. Like I am finally achieving the destiny I was meant for," she said. "I only wish that our families had been brought here… or to somewhere nearby by now."

Ebony nodded. "I know. I feel like we were led here under false premises. Where are our families? Master Skywalker said that they'd be coming too and now here we are, weeks into the training and none of that has ever been mentioned again!"

Joni shook his head. "This too is a lesson…"

"Would you stop that already?" Ebony snapped. "You're not helping!"

Spark and Sapharin exchanged glances. Quickly, Saph attempted to divert the topic. "Perhaps it would be worth asking Master Skywalker about it, Ebony. To see if they are en route or if there's been some sort of delay in the plans…"

"Yeah. That'll help I'm sure."

Joni could see that Ebony was upset enough that to say much more would only make the situation worse for her. All he did say was, "He might have information one way or the other. At least you'd _know_."

"I'm going to bed," Ebony said. With a nod to each of them, she strode off to the quarters that the women shared.

After she was well out of earshot, Spark whispered, "She's going to tell him she wants to go back… I'm sure of it."

Sapharin paled visibly though she too sensed a shift like that in their friend. "If push came to shove, do you really think so?"

Spark nodded. "She excels here, but she's unhappy."

"And her love for what this is all about—" Joni gestured broadly to mean the Temple, Yavin IV and this edge of the galaxy, "—isn't the same as what it is for us. We're living what we've always dreamed of. This wasn't her dream even if it is her talent."

"Exactly," Spark said. There was regret on her face.

"Do you think Master Skywalker would let her go back though? Without completing her training?" Saph wanted to know. She leaned on her arm, resting it on the long table and stifled a yawn.

Before Spark could even conjecture, Joni interrupted. "It's not wise for us to speculate on things that have not even come to pass, my friends."

Saph and Spark bit back a sigh then both chuckled. "Fine, Joni… we'll be good Jedi," Sapharin joked.


	4. Chapter 4

**The Jedi Adventure**  
--sparkvallen

_Lucasfilm owns everyone but the original characters who are based on people I know!_

**Chapter Four**

As dawn came once again on the jungle moon, Luke sat in an early morning meeting with the Jedi Knights and Masters who were the lifeblood of keeping the academy in operation. They also handled the growing responsibilities of Jedi across the galaxy since it was impossible for Luke to be both a figurehead for the Jedi Order and to be everywhere at once in disputes.

"They're performing even better than we'd expected," Kam reported as he scanned the individual reports of the training groups. "Their connection to the Force is pretty incredible."

The Knights murmured in agreement.

"The only thing that hinders them," Corran said, "is the fact that they miss their old lives. Our generation of Jedi understands this best since we didn't grow up _as _Jedi like the old order did. We came into this as adults with responsibilities and commitments."

"And attachments," Tionne said quietly. The silvery humanoid blinked at Corran Horn.

"And attachments," he allowed. "To expect them not to miss their families and what used to be familiar is folly though. Why haven't the families been brought into the known galaxy?"

Eyes, human or otherwise, turned to Luke for an answer. He waited for silence before explaining.

"There are problems on the fringe of the Outer Rim as you enter Unknown space," he admitted to his trusted knights. His voice was heavy with concern. "Reports that I've seen suggest hostility on the border… which makes it impossible to send the necessary shuttles through."

"Are you going to tell the trainees this?" Kam asked.

"It is not in the Jedi way to hide the truth," was Luke's reply.

"They're not going to be happy about this," Corran predicted. "They're not happy as it is, being away from those they love."

"Are you, Corran?" Kam shot back.

The former CorSec-turned-Jedi gave his colleague a wry smile. "My lifemate isn't across the galaxy and trapped on a backwater planet."

"Enough. We'll cross that bridge when we come to it, everyone. For now, we guide them and we continue to monitor the situation. When we can bring the families, we will."

* * *

While the meeting wound down, the Jedi trainees began their morning routines. Some took breakfast before others while some students started off the day in meditation or a physical workout. Outside the Grand Audience Chamber, Z'Trooper was crouched before the Academy's droid, R2-D2.

"Now… I'm good with computers back home. I'm sure if I just—"

"Beeeeeeeep!"

Z'Trooper, leaned back and smiled, chagrined. "Well, you didn't have to make _that _much of a fuss over it!"

The R2 unit replied by extending its stun arm and zapping the Human for his meddling.

"Hey! Alright, alright! Your programming is a bit different than what I'm used to!" he conceded, wary of another zap.

R2-D2 responded with the electronic equivalent of the raspberries.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

Z'Trooper turned where he sat and flashed a grin at Ebony. She stood over him with her hands on her hips, her expression dancing between annoyance and amusement as the droid hovered over her friend.

"R2 and I were just going over the finer points of droid programming," he offered.

This earned another incredulous string of beeps and whistles from the droid. It turned and sped down the corridor as Z'Trooper came to his feet.

"Evidently," Ebony said dryly.

"So what brings you up here this early?"

Her expression soured further. "I'm here to speak with Luke."

"Master Sky—" he started to say before Ebony's glare shut him up. "Why?"

Ebony sighed. "This isn't working out. I want to head home," she admitted.

Z'Trooper stared at her, stunned. He wasn't even sure how to respond at first, so he continued to look at his long-time friend. Like the others, Z'Trooper was more than eager and willing to be on Yavin IV. To become a Jedi. To _not _want this path…

"Excuse me? Are you serious?"

"Yes, Z'Trooper. I'm serious."

"This is the opportunity of a lifetime. Do you not see that?" he argued.

"Your opportunity. Spark's opportunity. Not mine." Her very posture spoke the defiance and frustration she felt.

He whistled. "You're not kidding…"

"No. I'm not."

"What could convince you to stay, Ebony? How can I convince you?" he asked.

Ebony narrowed her eyes. "Do you realize that they lied to us? They said our families would be joining us here or at least on a nearby world. Are they here? No. It's been _weeks_ and nothing's happened."

Z'Trooper shook his head. "But in the meantime, you've trained to be one of the best, Ebony. One of the best! Surely that has to count for something."

"Not when they are teaching me about worlds that I have no interest in, assuming I'll go save the universe when I don't _care _about it out here. I just want to go back to my family," she snapped.

The massive doors of the Grand Audience Chamber opened. Z'Trooper held off on a reply as it was clear that Luke was about to intercede. The Jedi Master stepped into their personal space and gave Ebony a serious look.

"Anger leads to the Darkside. I would advise you to take a calming breath as you know how to do," he said.

Ebony almost retorted about his Jedi virtues before catching herself and simply doing as he suggested. She could feel her anger so close to being out of control. Breathing in for the four-count and holding it the same amount of time before exhaling brought her back into a better focus. Though she remained no less frustrated about the situation.

"Now. What is the problem?" Luke asked.

Z'Trooper made a curt bow and hurried off in search of the R2 unit. Ebony stared at his back, watching him go before looking back to her instructor.

"I wish to know why our families are not here. Or at least why nothing has been spoken of that promise," Ebony said in a more even tone of voice.

Skywalker hadn't intended on that very question coming to a head so immediately. Corran was indeed right that this was a fiery issue for the trainees. Having been without family ties for much of his life, Luke had trouble relating to that.

"Let's walk," he suggested, taking off at a stride that implied Ebony was to follow. As she did, he continued speaking. "There are reports of border skirmishes on what is the route toward the Unknown Regions. Where your planet and system reside. Because of these problems, it's not possible for us to take shuttles through that area of space at the present time."

She blanched, thinking immediately of friends, family and those she held dear. "Close to my home?"

"No… your system is far beyond the border when you consult a holomap," Luke said. "Still, it's enough of a problem that we can't take our shuttles through."

Ebony rubbed on her forehead, pushing the Force through her to fight off a headache that threatened to overtake her. "And you were going to tell us this… when?"

There was no mistaking the venom in her tone. "We were just discussing this in a staff meeting this morning, Ebony. When the time was right, is what I'd told the Knights. Your being right there with the question on your mind was the right timing apparently."

"Why aren't you doing anything about this dispute?" was the next question.

Luke cocked his head sideways, wondering if the _you_ meant Skywalker personally or as though Ebony was separating herself in words from the Academy and _you_ implied everyone else.

"The Jedi have not been called into the situation. We're monitoring it but we do not rush headlong into disputes that could be handled through individuals' means. However… you are all at a point in your training where the instructors and I were considering several of you for small missions. _If _the factions involved in the dispute she ask for Jedi mediation, you would be considered for this."

She knew that the other trainees – such as Spark or Falco or even Z'Trooper – would have drooled at such a hint. Ebony was unimpressed. It was clear by her expression and stance.

"I just want to go home," she said quietly.

Skywalker stopped walking and turned to stare at her, nearly staring _through _Ebony. "Of all the trainees who've come here, you are among the most gifted! Even aside from that, do you not understand that we have no way to get a shuttle through? If we can't get it to your family, Ebony, we can't get you through either."

She sensed that she was pushing the Jedi Master from his serene state and that surprised her. "What are you not telling me? Us?"

Luke half-smiled. "That you're the most Force potent people I've ever met?"

Ebony snickered. "Sure…"

"I do not joke, Ebony. Now. There is nothing that can be done for the situation at present. Will you at least stick to your studies for now?"

She sighed. "It seems that I have no choice in the matter, _Master_."

Master Skywalker himself informed the trainees of the development rather than have it travel as a rumor around the Academy. For the day, everyone's mood seemed somber. Instead of the planned "Force hide-and-seek" exercise, the Jedi spent the day in quiet meditation.

* * *

As the trainees skills progressed to the point where their Force use came natural, Skywalker decided to move them into the final phases of physical training: the lightsaber. For now, they would use training blades, set on a low setting. To be struck by such a lightsaber would sting but it would not maim.

Everyone's eyes were wide with awe as they stood out on the landing pad in the mid-day sunshine. In their hands, they gripped the smooth handle of their training saber as they faced Kam.

"You've been working with the dowels long enough to know the basics of lightsaber stances and movements," he said. "The difference with the lightsaber is simply that its weight tricks you."

Snapping his lightsaber to life, eyes fixed on the glowing blade.

"It's light, see," Kam said, as he waved the lightsaber about slowly. "Unlike the dowel, there's no weight to this besides the hilt itself. And I kid you not when I say it takes getting used to."

"Apprentice Spark… the Jedi most likely to behead herself in battle with the lightsaber…" Spark murmured.

Sapharin glanced up at her friend and snickered, barely stifling giggles at the self-deprecating comment.

"Anyone care to volunteer to demonstrate for the group?"

"Oooh! Me! Me!"

Heads turned to look at Falco who was practically bouncing up and down for the opportunity.

"Very well then, step forward," Kam said patiently.

Falco's smile was as wide as could be as he approached Kam and held the lightsaber hilt carefully in both hands. Everyone else took a cautionary step back – perhaps they would have regardless who the first time saber wielder was. Perhaps it was just because it was Falco and he was renowned for his clumsiness around the academy.

Kam and Falco bowed from the neck to one another and then the apprentice took his cue to ignite the blue blade. The Force crackled with energy between the two demonstrators and out to the watching trainees.

"The lightsaber is no ordinary tool or weapon," Kam said as he led Falco through a few basic moves. "This is a part of the Force… an extension of _you_."

Quicker than lightning, Kam took the offensive. His lightsaber flashed and crashed against Falco's repeatedly as the apprentice quickly drew on the Force to instinctively react. Later, Falco would admit that he had no idea what he was doing – he only knew he didn't want to get hit by the saber blade. And just as rapidly, Kam backed away, a smile crossing his lips.

"Very good. Your instincts serve you well, Falco."

"Uh… thanks, I think? Warn me next time, maybe?" he replied.

"Not a chance," Kam said with a wink.

Falco returned to his place among the trainees. Z'Trooper clapped him on the back for his considerable swordwork. With that, the students were paired off to practice as the Jedi Knight strolled among them to offer tips and corrections to their footwork and how they handled the lightsaber.

It became immediately clear to Spark that this – like telekinesis – was going to be one of her weaker points. Her partner, Ebony, excelled and seldom left an opening for Spark to attack with. And defensively… Ebony scored a sting on her friend time and time again. Across the landing pad, Sapharin was discovering similarly that for all she wanted to be a great warrior, she didn't have the physical skills either. Joni seemed to float along the Force, being nigh impossible to strike even blade-to-blade.

As Kam passed by Sapharin, he whispered to her intuitively, "Reach into the Force and link your mind to the other students'. I think you have a rare and undeveloped gift…"

Saph looked at him blankly, in surprise. She nodded and centered herself once more before reaching out as they'd been trained. Sapharin could quickly feel each person's energy levels, their ability and how fatigued they were physically or otherwise. With sudden understanding, she manipulated the Force that connected each trainee to the next, establishing a clearer line of communication and energy in the group thereby strengthening everyone.

"I thought so," Kam said quietly. "You bear the natural skills for a battle meditation… this is a truly rare ability that you possess, Sapharin. One that allows you to enhance a group's abilities as you've just shown."

"Keep it up!" Spark yelled jokingly as she continued to spar with Ebony. "I need all the help I can get!"


	5. Chapter 5

**The Jedi Adventure**  
--sparkvallen

_Lucasfilm owns all the characters except those which are obviously original and based on – with permission – people from my life! So there. _

**Chapter Five**

The Jedi trainees assembled in the antechamber to the Great Hall of the Massassi Temple. They had all been summoned this late afternoon day on Yavin IV from their various training activities. Spark and Sapharin had been uncovering secrets from a Jedi Holocron while Ebony and Z'Trooper were engaged in a lightsaber and verbal sparring session in one of the sparring rooms. Falco had taken to tinkering on R2D2 as the Droid seemed more agreeable about his technological touch than it had Z'Trooper's previously. Joni had spent much of his day poring over the philosophical nature of the Force and the Jedi.

When they arrived in the antechamber, the hope on most everyone's mind was that their families were at last joining them in this new part of the galaxy. This was the one hold-out to their peace – whether or not it was the Jedi Way, they'd been told that their families would accompany them, and truly, it was the reason why many had agreed to this adventure in the first place. As months ticked by and they did not arrive, emotions had come to run high on the topic.

And so, when Luke and Corran entered the room where the trainees stood, sat or leaned against the stone walls, they fully expected to hear good news about their families' arriving. Instead…

"I have a two-pronged mission for you all," Luke said.

The surprise and disbelief in their eyes and in the Force was palpable.

Without missing a beat, Skywalker continued. "The mission will require this group to split into two teams, one headed to Coruscant, the other to Tatooine. Communication between the teams will be essential. The team on Coruscant needs to learn just what the WayneTech technology corporation is doing with its manufacture of micro-chips for datapads. There's evidence that this work is being tampered with for some…" He hesitated, searching for the right word. "…larger gain. Getting access to these files or information will not be easy."

Immediately, Falco's and Z'Trooper's eyes lit up at the prospect of technology.

Corran explained the second team's mission. "The Tatooine team will be on-planet as a strike team once the Coruscant team has achieved their objective. WayneTech's leadership is rumored to be a Dark Jedi who is vacationing on – of all places – Tatooine. The team will need to corner and force the cessation of such wrongdoing and bring the Dark Jedi Valion into custody."

The trainees were deathly silent, staring at Luke and Corran. It was finally Sapharin who broke the silence. "Um… Masters Skywalker and Horn… aren't there fully-trained Jedi who would be better for these missions?"

Luke smiled knowingly and bowed his head to her. "Are you suggesting that you're not fully trained, Saph?"

Her brown eyes widened at the trick question, quickly trying to figure out how best to answer. "That's not quite what I meant, Master. And I think you're aware of that! I only meant that—"

Luke winked. "I know, Sapharin. And yet, I have the fullest confidence in this team of Jedi."

_When we return, we'll be Knights,_ Ebony thought. She cleared his throat and looked around at the other Jedi. "Right, well, how shall we organize ourselves then?"

Falco and Z'Trooper immediately volunteered to go to Coruscant… just as everyone was expecting them to. Joni also offered his skills toward the mission to the city-planet, feeling his mediation skills might be of use to talk their way into the corporation.

Spark, Ebony and Sapharin exchanged glances. The women were thinking and communicating in silence as they had grown accustomed to doing – the bond between the trio was strong and the Force flowed between them easily enough that they could send thoughts and images from mind-to-mind. In their private way, they deliberated on which mission they would undertake together. Sapharin sent, _/I want to see Tatooine where Luke was raised anyway. Are we game for the greater mission at hand/_

Ebony was the one to nod and voice their intent to take on the mission to Tatooine. Luke and Corran nodded as though they expected it to fall out this way. Spark couldn't help but think about the irony of the boys' team and the girls' team in the way the mission was organized.

"Master Tionne has information for both teams in the archives. You're strongly encouraged to study up on the planets, the companies and regional politics in general before you go. A shuttle's been prepared for both teams but I'd advise you to depart together and stay in communication throughout your missions," Corran said. "May the Force be with you all."

* * *

Hours of study and preparation passed as the two Jedi teams learned about WayneTech, Valion and the climate in which the company had grown to thrive. The teams shared information since what one leaned about Coruscant was still relevant to what the Tatooine group needed to know… and vice versa. Z'Trooper and Ebony took care of supply requisitions with Kam Solusar's assistantce, gathering gear and likely useful equipment for the shuttles and missions in general. With the plan to meditate and rest at least one night before departure, the Jedi trainees returned to their quarters within the Temple to prepare for their first mission.

By dawn's first light on the jungle moon, the two teams had again assembled over a light breakfast. Anticipation and nervousness was etched onto each person's face as they ate in silence. As a group, they made their way to the landing pads where other Jedi had already taken it upon themselves to load both shuttles according to the manifests Ebony and Z'Trooper had put together. The trainees all looked to one another then hugged each person before offering a formal bow. They had come a long way together and each had the same feeling that Ebony had – this was going to be a time of proving, as Jedi Knights-to-be.

No words needed to be spoken as each team boarded their shuttles. They were being flown to Coruscant and Tatooine respectively by other Jedi who were seasoned pilots and used to hyperspace navigation. As it would take the Tatooine team longer to arrive on-planet, they departed first. Those on Coruscant would be using that extra time to prepare exactly how they'd be infiltrating WayneTech's information in order to learn more about the micro-chips…

* * *

_On the ride to Tatooine…_

Together in the main hold of the shuttle, Ebony was on a mild rant about the situation the Jedi trainees found themselves in. Spark and Sapharin were her captive audience as she got things off her chest.

"What I don't understand is why Skywalker continues to evade the question of our families! To the point that he sends us across the galaxy, separating our group?" Ebony exclaimed.

Sapharin mumbled, "It's the Jedi way" very quietly, not wanting to upset Ebony any further, but still needing to speak.

Brown eyes glared back at her. "And I suppose it's the Jedi way to keep information from us? You know as well as I do that something's not right about this!"

Spark bit her lip, trying to figure out how to interject. She always got quiet in group discussions, despite how the Jedi she'd always known online perceived her. "There's nothing we can do about that right now, Ebony. Can we just focus on getting through this mission for now? Please?"

A disgusted sigh was the reply she received. Sapharin shrugged at Spark, similarly not knowing what to say.

* * *

_On the ride to Coruscant…_

"To get a good look at upcoming technology! I can hardly wait, you know?" Falco was exclaiming.

"There is no emotion, there is peace," Joni replied, giving a wry grin from his seat.

Z'Trooper snickered and continued to fiddle with his lightsaber hilt. He was fine tuning the specs that they'd been given as students for the construction of their lightsabers, seeking to make his blade more variable. Z'Trooper had the idea that the blade could be used for many purposes beyond battle: a can opener, a pen light…

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," Falco replied. "But just imagine what we're gonna like… see! And stuff. Dude, pinch me because I can't believe it!"

"I'm not going to pinch you," Z'Trooper replied without looking up.

"Um, you're not going to hit me with that, are you?" Falco asked.

"Might I suggest a little meditation, fellow Jedi? To prepare ourselves for the mission?" Joni inquired. He stood and made his way to quieter quarters aboard their shuttle.

Falco and Z'Trooper merely shook their heads, both geeked about what their end of the mission entailed.


	6. Chapter 6

**The Jedi Adventure**  
--sparkvallen

_Lucasfilm owns all the characters except those which are obviously original and based on – with permission – people from my life! So there. _

**Chapter Six**

Coruscant. The center of the galaxy, the pinnacle of decadence and disorder all at once. The capital for a thousand worlds calling themselves a part of the New Republic, built upon the ashes of what had been known as Imperial City not so long ago. As the Jedi shuttle landed on the city-planet at one of the many spaceports, the trio of trainees had their faces pressed to the viewports, hardly able to believe what they were seeing. They knew of Coruscant because of their fictional media on their distant homeworld; to see it in person… they were awestruck.

Their Jedi pilot didn't need to herd them off the shuttle. Z'Trooper, Falco and Joni were all too eager to see Coruscant for themselves. They were hard-pressed to keep their look of wonder contained as they wandered the lanes for foot-traffic, staring up at the whitewashed durasteel buildings that stretched further than the eye could see into the sky.

"You know… the Jedi Council used to be located here," Falco said. "Well, duh, of course you knew that… But, do you think we could go and find that site after we've finished with WayneTech?"

Joni raised his eyebrows and shrugged. "If we're successful in our mission, it could be an interesting exercise."

"I thought it was destroyed," Z'Trooper reminded.

"Well, yeah," Falco replied. "But like… with the Force, wouldn't we be able to feel where it used to be? Wouldn't that be cool?"

The others nodded their agreement. First though, they had to infiltrate WayneTech's complex and learn the plans behind the datapad's microchips. They set up surveillance and reconnaissance at first, determining just how tight the facility's security was and learning how they would go about gaining entry. They watched the shift changes for the techs who worked in a rotating system around the clock. They also watched the executives come and go by morning and night hours, learning when and if there was a way they could slip in during these changes.

"I don't suppose we could just be direct and make an appointment, could we?" Joni finally asked, after two days of studying the comings and goings from WayneTech.

Z'Trooper shook his head but Falco's eyes widened. He looked back to the facility and said quietly, "They'd be able to recognize false docs but I wonder if their guards are smart enough to beat out a Mind Trick? Or maybe both at once? We could engineer some fake identification… Or, a diversion?"

Joni said wryly, "I couldn't manage to keep my computer back home working properly. That being said, perhaps if I distracted their guard staff long enough for you two to enter, that would work… Hmmm…"

"Then Falco and I could go in and slice into their system and get the data we need…"

Their plan decided, they waited for evening hours as the bulk of the WayneTech employees would be leaving for the day. Joni walked alone up the walkway to the security check-point. His Jedi robes drawn about him tightly to hide his lightsaber and any other symbol that would identify him, he looked simply like any other traveler or visitor to Coruscant.

"Excuse me, do you have a moment, please?"

The silvery-skinned humanoid glared back at him. "Move along."

"I was just wondering if you know the way to…" Joni paused, as if trying to recall the address he needed to find.

"We're not tour guides here or an information kiosk. Move along!"

"Yes, sir, I understand that but you're the only ones about right now who could help me," he went on, undaunted.

The guard touched his snub blaster in its holster. "For the last time! We're not here to help you!"

Joni smiled. "You will help me though, more than you know." Drawing on the Force, he said, _"You would like to help me find this address."_

Having realized that the guard was more bluster than brains, Joni saw he could influence him with the Force. And as hoped for, the security guard muttered back, "I would like to help you find this address…"

Joni started to give a long, drawn out story as to why he was trying to reach the fictional address as Z'Trooper and Falco saw it was their cue to move. The distracted guard was forgetting his place and purpose in checking WayneTech ID's for the incoming workers which allowed the two Jedi to slip in undetected with the throng of night-shift employees. They moved quickly, slipping into a 'fresher and locking the door to buy them time.

"Okay, so we're in. Now we have to get some sort of cover because it won't take their cams long to pinpoint the two Jedi that don't belong," Z'Trooper said.

Falco nodded and said, "If we ditch these outer robes, we'd look more like any low-level tech who'd be working the night shift. Were you looking at what these people were wearing? No sense of fashion. Erm… anyway, that's what I think."

"Works for me."

* * *

Meanwhile, on the backwater of Tatooine, Ebony, Sapharin and Spark were just arriving at the Mos Eisley spaceport. The trio gasped as they were hit with a wall of hot air. The temperature and sunshine was stifling.

"Well, this place is certainly _fun_," Ebony snapped. "You better believe I'm going to be hovering over the subspace receiver and our comlinks waiting for word from the guys so we can get on with this."

Despite her sour mood, Sapharin and Spark were spell-bound at seeing Tatooine with their own eyes. Much like the guys' experience on Coruscant, they were already familiar with the hot, desert world with its twin suns overhead. It was surreal to be standing in Mos Eisley at Docking Bay 94 where so much history had taken place.

"Let's have a look around here while we wait for word from the other team," Spark suggested quietly.

Saph nodded eagerly and took the lead for the trio, walking through the city of Mos Eisley as though she'd lived there all her life. It was of little surprise when she led them to a particular cantina to get out of the sunshine and heat. She and Spark barely hid their beaming smiles as they entered the dark, gloomy cantina, descending the few steps into its cool bar.

"What's good?" Ebony whispered.

"Corellian Ale, Tarisian Ale…" Spark suggested.

"Wine from Naboo if they have it at this place," Sapharin added. She giggled at knowing so much about galactic liquor for never having tasted it herself.

The bartender was the same, surly and dingy looking man who had served Luke and Obi-wan so many years before. His hair was grayer but he was still easily recognizable by his appearance and temperament. The ladies were stuck with the varieties of ale as Nabooian wine was not available – Wuher explained – due to heavy taxation. Ebony had the feeling then that the ale was brewed on Tatooine rather than brought in… not that she would've known the genuine article from what was placed before her anyway.

"So now we just wait…"

Sapharin grinned. "Well, we could rent a 'speeder and take a ride out to the Dune Sea or to the old Lars farm…"

"Burnt out, remember?"

Saph shook her head, smiling knowingly. "After Master Skywalker became so famous, the locals here decided to renovate the farm and use it as a tourist stop, trying to draw business to Tatooine."

"For real?"

"For real," she said. "What do you think?"

Ebony made a face as she contemplated her Tarisian Ale. "Would be better than sitting around here, that's for sure…"

With that settled, the Jedi paid their bill and left the cantina, returning to the scorching streets of Mos Eisley. Renting a speeder was unnecessary. Not only had Tatooine restored the homestead, but they offered transportation out to the moisture farm in guided tours. Paying for their tickets for the tour, the trio boarded the over-sized landspeeder that would shuttle them out past Anchorhead to the Lars homestead where Luke's journey had begun.


	7. Chapter 7

**The Jedi Adventure**  
--sparkvallen

_Lucasfilm owns all the characters except those which are obviously original and based on – with permission – people from my life! So there. _

**Chapter Seven**

With the Jedi inserted into the WayneTech complex, Joni gave up his act of being lost and needing directions around Coruscant. Shrugging helplessly, he slipped away and back into the shadows of adjacent buildings to wait on Z'Trooper and Falco. Once he had confirmation from them that they'd been successful with their end of the mission, he could contact Sapharin, Spark and Ebony with the news to proceed on Tatooine.

Within the building, Falco and Z'Trooper let the Force guide them around security patrols within the WayneTech complex. Trusting their intuitions, they also managed to avoid detection by those third shift workers who were out and about the hallways as well. It took longer than either man had expected it would to locate an available computer terminal that they could slice into; when there was one they could reach, it was in an area that left them too exposed. If the wrong person noticed them, their cover was blown.

"There."

Falco looked to see where Z'Trooper was suggesting. "The cafeteria? Z'Trooper, this is no time to think with your stomach! What do you think you are? Like a… a Wookiee?"

Z'Trooper favored him with an exasperated stare. "No," he hissed. "It's empty and the offices would have a computer terminal. For their inventory and what-not."

Falco whispered, "Ohhhhh…" with sudden understanding. "Carry on then."

Shaking his head, Z'Trooper proceeded up the corridor, pretending that he belonged in the WayneTech building. For both men, the instinct was to skulk and creep around but they knew that would again tip off everyone to suspicious behavior. They walked into the cafeteria as though it was their break-time.

Falco began to test the doors to each office to see if anyone had left them unlocked. It was a long shot, but one could never tell…

"Pay dirt. C'mon."

Quickly, the two Jedi trainees slipped inside and closed the door.

"I can't believe they'd leave their door unlocked." Z'Trooper pointed to the terminal. "You want the honors or shall I?"

Falco grinned like a kid in a candy store. He sat down and whirled the chair to the terminal. "Let's see here… this can't be _that _much different than what we've got back home right? Wait… er… retinal scan?"

Z'Trooper sighed. "Lemme see what I can do then."

He crouched beside Falco and took a look at the program. Z'Trooper began typing rapidly, entering various codes and lines of programming in much to Falco's surprise. They both waited with breathless anticipation as he managed to override the system.

"How in the hell did you know how to do that?" Falco wanted to know.

"Something I got from R2 before he ran off on me one day… alright. Go for it."

Falco reclaimed the keyboard and began searching the system for information on the datapad project. Several minute ticked by as he managed to bring up several references to the project and what the Sith Lord, Darth Valion, was intending. He printed off hard copies of the data and the re-traced his steps in the system to cover his tracks.

"This is good… but not enough," Falco said. "We're going to have to take a trip to the research lab too."

Tucking the paperwork into his jumpsuit, Falco hopped out of the chair as Z'Trooper cautiously touched the Force to check for beings outside the door.

"Um… we've got company."

"What!"

Without another word, Z'Trooper reached for his lightsaber. Falco saw what he was doing and whispered a curse before coming to him beside the door and reaching for his own hilt.

"Got to contact Joni…" Falco remembered. He quickly spoke into his comlink, relaying the message that they had their proof of the tampering and why but that it was incomplete and they'd been discovered.

Z'Trooper hit the panel to open the door and flung himself into the cafeteria with his lightsaber blazing. With a war cry, Falco charged out after him.

_Meanwhile on Tatooine…_

"…and in here, you will see the workshop in which Luke found the fated message from Princess Leia Organa with the Alliance's distress call to General Obi-wan Kenobi," the tour guide droid went on. "It was only later that Luke and Leia learned that they were twins…"

"This is cool," Sapharin whispered, her brown eyes wide.

The trio of women peeked into the garage, one of the last stops on the tour and admired the restored and spectacularly clean space.

"…and this is our final stop, which is far more impressive by night," the droid said. "Imagine standing here, looking out at the setting twin suns and never having any idea how rapidly your life could change… that you could become a Jedi Master just like Luke Skywalker did, standing here his last night on Tatooine. Our gift shop is on your way back to the transport where you can pick up your own toy lightsaber, vintage Luke Skywalker autograph and 'I saw the Lars Homestead' tunics! May the Force be with you!"

Ebony rolled her eyes at the melodrama, especially considering that of the tour-goers, the three of them were indeed Jedi.

"Saphy!"

Sapharin, Spark and Ebony all whirled at the sound of a young man's voice just behind them. Their eyes went wide as a starfruit as they stared at no one but Talon Sky whom they'd known back on their homeworld. Saph was the first to find her voice as she shouted his name and launched into motion, running as best she could to Talon and giving him a huge hug.

"What are you DOING here!" she shouted in surprise.

His brown eyes showing keen amusement as he smiled, Talon said, "I was going to ask you the same question…" He stepped back and executed a formal bow to Saph, Spark and Ebony.

Spark and Ebony just stared dumbly.

"We're… well, wait a minute! What ARE you doing here?" Saph exclaimed again.

"I'm in Jedi training," he said matter-of-factly.

"But… but! But so are we! I mean… do you mean that you were given the same offer and we somehow never saw you until now?"

Talon shook his head. "Yes… and no. While you were part of the group training on Yavin IV, the Jedi who'd come to find me at the apartment offered me a _solo _apprenticeship. I've been working with Master Durron all this time."

"KYP DURRON?" Spark shouted, finally finding her voice and her wits.

"The one and the same," Talon replied with a grin.

Saph and Spark exchanged glances. There was no way to catch Ebony up for now since so much of this information relied on knowing the fictional world beyond the films they knew back home.

"I… I can hardly believe this!" Saph admitted.

"Believe it. Now, tell me what you three are doing here on Tatooine."

Taking turns and finishing each other's sentences, the ladies explained that they were the second prong of a mission to take Darth Valion into custody for his corporate crimes.

"Funny since Master Durron and I were also here related to _that _issue," Talon said. "Master Durron's tactics were a bit more… hard-line than your sightseeing and all, but perhaps we can work together."

As they boarded the shuttle back to Mos Eisley and prepared for another long ride to civilization, Ebony's comlink chirped. She frowned at it and pressed the device close to her ear, not wanting the non-Jedi aboard the shuttle to overhear a message that had to be coming from the team. It was them or it was the Jedi on Yavin IV – she knew no one else in this part of the galaxy, after all.

"Ebony, it's Joni. Proceed with your mission. Have to go. Boys are in trouble."

Before she could even form a reply, Joni had cut the connection. Ebony swore and then looked to Spark, Saph and Talon, her eyes full of worry.

"We proceed with our mission," she said calmly enough. "Joni cut the connection right away because he said 'the boys are in trouble.'"

"Oh no…" Sapharin whispered.

"The boys?" Talon asked.

Spark quickly told him about Joni, Falco and Z'Trooper, the first two being names that Talon would have known from the online world they'd all participated in.

"The Force will be with them," he said confidently.

Ebony bit back a snarl and took a deep breath. What Talon said was true, but it offered her no consolation as they took the long ride back to the spaceport.


	8. Chapter 8

**The Jedi Adventure  
**--sparkvallen

_As always, there are my original characters based on particular folk from my life. Those you recognize belonging to Lucasfilm… do!_

**Chapter Eight**

Joni realized he had only moments in which to act as the comlink connection was severed from his Jedi colleagues on Coruscant. After firing off the brief message to the other teammates on Tatooine, the trainee made his way back to the WayneTech building, determined to gain entry in order to help his friends. As he approached the security booth however, the comlink chimed again.

Gnashing his teeth at the delay, knowing that Z'Trooper and Falco could need him, Joni pressed himself back against the duracrete of the building's façade and clicked on his comlink. "What?"

"Joni - glad I could reach you. There's been a development and we need to pull both teams from their missions."

He stared in surprise at the sound of Corran Horn's voice at the other end of the connection. "What?" he said again.

"Both units need to return to their shuttles. Now," the Jedi Knight said. "The pilots will have the coordinates for the next jump."

"But… this doesn't make sense," Joni said, not having any idea what Corran was trying to say to him. "Falco and Z'Trooper are likely in a firefight in the WayneTech headquarters!"

"Then you all need to get out of there," Corran replied matter-of-factly. "Now, Jedi Joni."

With a flustered sigh, he shut down the connection and tapped into the Force for strength and guidance. Drawing his lightsaber but keeping the blade extinguished, Joni hurried to the security booth. _"You will allow me entry into the building_."

The guard stared back at him, doing a visual double-take. The Codru-Ji's four arms twitched and flailed. "You are allowed to enter the building."

Joni gave him a mock salute and hurried inside, guided by the Force toward his companions. After several minutes of navigating his way through the office building, he managed to hone in on Falco and Z'Trooper's Force signatures and find them dodging stun bolts from security forces within. It was clear that their lightsabers were useless in this case - they were trained to deflect actual blaster bolts, but there was no way to deflect the wider beam of a stun ray. He had gone unnoticed by the WayneTech security staff, standing behind them as they fired on Falco and Z'Trooper who were presently dodging and weaving, trying to get past the trio of guards.

"Glad you finally made it!" Z'Trooper shouted toward Joni.

Given that his momentary advantage was now blown, Joni called back, "There is no emotion, there is peace!"

Falco stared at them incredulously before leaping behind an overturned cafeteria table. "C'mon! I don't want to explore 'There is no death, there is the Force' today!" he exclaimed.

Joni had had the hopes that they could talk their way out of having snuck into the WayneTech building, recognizing that the odds were sorely out of the Jedi's favor to fight their way out. Time was especially of the essence now with Corran's message in his mind… the mysterious orders that Falco nor Z'Trooper knew anything about. Reclipping his hilt to his belt, Joni tucked it out of sight before speaking to the security staff in his most commanding tone.

"Gentlemen, just what is going on here?"

"And just who do you think _you _are?" snapped one of the trio as his blaster was leveled on Joni.

"Mr. Cee and it seems obvious to me that you're not only disturbing the peace but mistaking these two gentlemen you're firing on for some common criminals," Joni said evenly.

As matter-of-factly as he was carrying himself, it was just enough to throw the security officers into confusion. "Mr. Cee? Where's your ID tag then?"

Joni couldn't believe the synchronicity that there would actually be a Mr. Cee on staff with WayneTech! Out the corner of his gaze, he could see the other Jedi looking similarly astonished.

"_You don't need to see my identification."_

"I don't need to see your identification," the guard said dutifully. He looked two his partners who were watching Z'Trooper and Falco and said, "We don't need to see his identification. That's Mr. Cee."

"_You've done your job well. These gentlemen are consultants to test security's response and you've proven your department very capable_," Joni went on, using the Force on all three guards, hoping that his skills were good enough to manage this.

"That's… that's right!" Falco chimed in. _"You've shown your department can track would-be spies well. You may go about your business now."_

"We can go about our business," responded the guard who'd had his blaster trained on Falco.

"_Move along," _Z'Trooper added, drawing in the Force to give further persuasion to his tone too. His lips curled into a satisfied smile as the words were repeated back to him from all three guards.

"That was too close," Falco whispered as he stood and righted the table.

Z'Trooper clapped Joni on the back. "Never would've thought that would work on those goons. Good job."

Joni nodded, but said, "We're not out of here yet. Mission's been aborted. Let's go."

Following him back through the corridors toward an exit, Z'Trooper asked Joni what he was talking about. In a low voice, he quickly explained his message from Corran just after having contacted the team on Tatooine.

"What's going on that we're all being pulled?" Falco asked, concerned.

"I don't know," Joni replied. "Corran didn't say. I just had the feeling it was very, very important."

"Do the others know then?"

He could only shrug as they went past the egress guard booth once more. Joni nodded at the Codru-Ji who nodded in return as though Joni and the others were just regular WayneTech employees leaving the complex. The trio of Jedi said nothing more as they hurried across the walkways of Coruscant back to the shuttle - while they had been successful in their mission overall, nothing had gone quite like any of them had expected.

"Good, you're back. Strap in and let's go," the Jedi pilot said.

"Where are we going though?" Z'Trooper wanted to know.

"Home." Already, the pilot was firing up the sublight engines and bringing the ship about to ascend into space over Coruscant.

"Yavin IV?" Z'Trooper persisted.

"No. _Your _home."

Immediately, their thoughts went to Ebony who had had "a bad feeling" about the home situation since their leaving to train as Jedi. Brows furrowed, they strapped into their crash webbing and remained silent, trying to meditate and gain calm as the shuttle was guided into space and then hyperspace.

On Tatooine, the tourist transport that carried the Jedi back to Mos Eisley came roaring back into its parking spot. They deboarded quickly and assessed their next move. Talon, who had been on-planet longer than the other trainees with his master began to pace back and forth under the scorching twin suns over the desert world.

"Darth Valion may have already received word that his corporation has been compromised, you realize," Talon was saying to Ebony, Spark and Sapharin, who all nodded at this truth. "When we approach his compound then, it's likely he'll be _expecting _us and I can't imagine any Dark Lord of the Sith who is going to be exactly… accommodating about being taken into custody."

"By a quartet of Jedi trainees, no less," Ebony added.

"Do we stick together or storm his residence from different angles?" Spark asked, trying to think tactically.

"In pairs," Talon replied. "Strength in numbers but it still gives us multiple fronts. We can communicate through the Force from pair to pair."

Sapharin was frowning, shielding her eyes from the bright sunlight. "A Dark Lord would sense our Force use as easily as technology would pick up comlink transmissions…"

"Point. However, the bonds between us all should be strong enough that we can--"

"Talon."

All four Jedi turned at the brusque tone of voice that spoke his name. Spark whispered, "Kyp Durron…" as she gazed upon the lanky, dark-haired Jedi Knight. He wore a roguish smile that bordered on being downright cocky.

"Plan's have changed, Talon. We're to… wait, who have we here?" he asked, the smile never leaving his face.

Talon offered his Master a formal bow then introduced the other Jedi trainees, explaining that like him, they were from the Unknown Regions and had been training on Yavin IV. He quickly brought Kyp up to speed on how the trio had also been sent to Tatooine to take Valion into custody. Talon explained that they'd just been analyzing how best to make their move when Kyp had approached.

"Ladies, a pleasure. Your planet has surely held a high concentration of Force sensitives secret for a long time," Kyp said. "Unfortunately… that gift is the reason why I was just seeking Talon out."

In a very quiet voice, feeling dread at the pit of her stomach, Saph asked, "Why? What's going on, Master?"

"I just received word from Luke that Talon and I were to head into hyperspace to head back to your homeworld immediately," Kyp said, his voice calm and reserved.

"Why?" Ebony demanded, her tone sharp.

Kyp looked into each of their eyes before speaking. "There's word of an attack."

"I _knew _it! Didn't I tell you all!" Ebony roared. She threw her hands up in the air and stomped away from the group.

Kyp looked to Saph and Spark. "A vision?"

"Since just after we'd gone to Yavin IV," Spark said. "Ebony had had a bad feeling about the fact that Master Skywalker had promised our families would join us… and when they never did…"

"We don't have all the facts," Kyp said. "I… can't say much more than that."

Ebony whirled around sharply and looked back at the senior Jedi. "You know something."

He was saved from answering her by the beeping of Sapharin's comlink. She quickly unclipped it from her belt and answered. "Hello, this is Sapharin - can I help you?"

"Sapharin. It's Master Skywalker. Are you able to talk?" he said.

"Why… yes. We were just talking about you actually. Is something going on at home?"

There was a pause before Luke said, "That's exactly why I am contacting you. Disregard your present mission. You need to get back to your shuttle - the pilot has coordinates to take you back to your homeworld in the Unknown Regions."

Everyone's breath caught in their throat upon receiving the same orders as Kyp and Talon. Ebony glared at the comlink and Spark could only look on in shock.

"What's going on there?" she asked the Jedi Master.

"It seems… that the Jedi were not the only ones to discover your planet as having a high concentration of Force sensitives," Luke admitted. "We have reason to believe your world is under attack and possibly under the control of Dark Force users."

Sapharin blanched visibly. "I… see, Master."

"The Coruscant team has already been contacted and deployed as well. You're to depart Tatooine immediately," he said.

"Yes, Master. We've met up with Master Durron and Talon Sky who have the same orders, it seems?"

"They can travel in the same shuttle as you so that you all arrive together. May the Force be with you."

Ebony looked like she was going to go into orbit as rage boiled through her. "For. How. Long. Did. He. Know?"

Kyp turned to face her, setting his hands on her shoulders. Given his tumultuous history as a former slave in the spice mines of Kessel and his rough life as a Jedi, if anyone could understand the anger Ebony was feeling now, it was surely Kyp. "I won't give you the spiel about a Jedi's calm. Because - trust me - I know what you're feeling right now. I'm just going to say to you that its in your best interest to keep it together. Feel your anger but don't act from it. You're going to be instrumental in helping your world - don't sabotage it with your own anger."

Spark, Sapharin and Talon remained quiet and respectful during the exchange, keeping their gazes averted. They were - as it was - in their own states of shock considering that they were also learning that their families were endangered _because _of their abilities. They all knew it was even harder for Ebony because she'd all but prophesized this from the beginning and the concerns had been ignored by the senior Jedi.

"Let's go," Ebony said at last. Though her words were quiet, fire burned in her brown eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

**The Jedi Adventure**  
--sparkvallen

_Of course, I only own Spark and everyone else is borrowed either from Lucasfilm or in likeness of my friends!_

**Chapter Nine**

As two shuttles of Jedi raced through hyperspace back to the homeworld of most of the occupants, their world itself was in a desperate state. The blockade that Skywalker had noted so many weeks before hadn't been traders from elsewhere in the Unknown Regions as the Jedi Council had thought. The Jedi weren't the only ones to discover the world that was so blue and white from space; those who called themselves the Sith Order had arrived only days after the Jedi had departed for Yavin IV, finding for themselves a veritable treasure-trove of other Force sensitive humans. Unbeknownst to the Jedi, the Sith had taken occupation of the far-off world, claiming it as their own to dominate and to manipulate with so many fresh, pliant minds that would take to their style of teachings.

It had taken days to travel from their homeworld to Yavin IV initially and that did not change on the return trip. The team from Coruscant was hours behind the team from Tatooine and both were forced to be cooped up aboard the ship, cut off from new communication, antsy and worried about what they would find. They did their best to meditate, to continue to train… and more than anything to hold true to the path they had embarked upon despite their feelings.

As the two shuttles came out of hyperspace at the edge of their home-system, they saw for themselves the Sith blockade. A mass of Star Destroyers and starfighters encircled the planet.

"This isn't going to be easy," Talon remarked as he stared out the viewport. "We've got to be _just _on the outside of their sensors now… any closer and they'll know we're here."

"Like… are we enough of a force to take down the Sith? Just us?" Falco asked over the ship-to-ship communicator.

Spark nudged Ebony and said, "I think she could take down the whole armada herself." The scowl she received for the comment silenced Spark for the moment.

Sapharin glanced at Talon's master – Kyp – who's gaze remained fixed on the view they had. She frowned, wrinkling her brow. "Is this a case where we split up again? Would that help?"

Z'Trooper said, "That's what I was thinking too, but I'm not sure how we can expect to take down the fleet even if we did split up."

"These aren't fighters anyway," Kyp interjected.

"Not that any of us are pilots either," Falco reminded.

"Joni?" Ebony asked. "You're being awfully quiet."

"I'm trying to determine where our best area to strike is," he replied after a moment. "Do we go for the flagship of the fleet? Do we head to the surface?"

Ebony's voice was hardened with determination. "I'm _going _to the surface."

"Our families and friends are down there," Sapharin said in a whisper. "We have to help them."

"Decide how to serve them best, we must," Kyp and Joni said in unison. Everyone stared at them. Joni went on to say, "The leadership might be overseeing things ground-side. I can't imagine what they are doing to our world, but I can't imagine hands-off leadership in this."

"Point," Kyp said. "The Sith are known for their over-bearing style."

"Then we go to the surface… assuming we can get past the blockade," Spark said.

"Oh, we can get past it, believe me," was Kyp's reply. "At least, I can pilot this shuttle well enough. The pilot for your ship _should _be able to keep up."

"Oh good," Falco said, "glad I don't have to do it. I'd probably get us lost even though the planet is right there in front of us. Or something."

There were a few nervous chuckles as the two pilots coordinated their plan to take them in. Everyone climbed back into their crash-webbing restraints, anticipating a wild ride.

And a wild ride it was. The shuttles were maneuverable enough but not nearly the sort of ship that one would want to use to run a blockade. With Kyp leading their duo, the seasoned X-Wing pilot took the shuttle through loops and hard turns that left Sapharin and Talon looking completely green-faced. Ebony and Spark at least were in their element (more or less) and actually half-smiled through the evasive tricks the Jedi Master employed to get them around the Sith ships. Keeping a close tail, the pilot that had transported Joni, Falco and Z'Trooper across the galaxy barely managed to avoid losing shields several times as both ion and laser blasts came close to striking their ship.

"Coming in hard, hang on!" Kyp warned.

They hit the world's atmosphere harder than the shuttle was really designed for. It's shields crumpled immediately and the friction heat of the re-entry could be felt as the hull became hotter and hotter.

"This is not good," Talon whispered, white-knuckling his armrest.

"Just hang on!"

The landing… if it could be called that… was teeth-rattling and brutal to each Jedi aboard. Kyp brought the shuttle down in one over-heated piece, landing as close to equidistant to the homes of the students he had aboard. Sapharin cried out, thinking she was going to be sick but the moment passed as she realized they were no longer moving.

"Thank the Force," she whispered, meaning every word.

The second shuttle landed close-by with the same sort of jarring impact. Three Jedi and their pilot stumbled out on weak legs and gave pathetic waves to the others as they too deboarded.

"We're definitely here for now," Spark said, looking at the damage down to both shuttles.

"I almost can't believe we're here in one piece!" Saph said, shaking her head in wonder.

Z'Trooper looked at the group expectantly. "Now what?" He stared, perplexed at Talon and Kyp. "And exactly who are you two?"

"Talon Sky at your service," he said, giving a low flourished bow. "And this is my Master, Kyp Durron."

"As for 'now what', I'm getting a car and heading home before I do _anything _else," Ebony said.

"I think that's a good idea," Spark chimed in. "We're going to be freaked out wondering if our families are okay so _knowing _will help us focus on what to do after that."

Any other Jedi Master would have refuted the logic, but Kyp was among those who were closest to being rogue Jedi if anything. He simply nodded once, indicating that he was agreeable. "Those who need to go, go. Reassure your families and re-connect. If you don't have to leave, we'll begin learning all we can from here about the Sith's efforts, their purpose and what weakness we can expose."

Spark and Ebony agreed to travel together to return to their homes. Z'Trooper and Sapharin would also journey together due to geographical proximity. Talon shrugged at the idea and Saph said she'd check-in for him, sensing his reluctance. Falco said he would just contact his family through the communication network if he could and Joni was resolute in his Jedi-ness, trusting those he loved to the Force's will.

* * *

In the time it took for the two pair of Jedi to return to their families and check-in, Kyp, Talon, Falco and Joni had managed to learn much about the Sith's occupation simply through mindful observation. They had traveled into the closest city and what they couldn't just see for themselves, they heard through the locals…

The Sith had also learned of the high concentration of Force users on-planet, saw the opportunity and seized it. They had begun training their own army of Dark Force users, seducing some easily with dreams of power and magical abilities and coercing others into their ways. Those who were resistant were jailed aboard one of the frigates in orbit until they either cooperated and "saw the truth" or were killed. Unchecked for months, the Sith's plan had been nearly flawless and was near-unstoppable.

Falco and Joni seemed to think that _if _they could infiltrate the prison frigate, they'd find innumerable allies against the Sith. They knew this meant at least one of them would have to be intentionally handed to the Sith, but it seemed a plan worthy of consideration. If the prisoners had no intention of falling to the Darkside, perhaps they would at least ally with the Jedi if not join them later on. Talon and his Master also considered ground-offenses that would be possible, sabotaging what the Sith had constructed and foiling their plans to corrupt more of the citizens.

When the other four Jedi returned a day later, the plans were solid, pending approval from the rest of the group. There was a calm about Ebony and Sapharin both in knowing that their loved ones were well. With Ebony, it was a state that none of them had seen her in since they'd first left their homeworld – though unspoken, it was clear that she was now the strongest among them, short of the Jedi Master Durron himself. They agreed on the plans with only a little more discussion and began to work out the details of _who _would actually be captured by the Sith in order to reach the prison ship.

"I'll go."

Heads turned to the dark-haired Sapharin whose expression showed she was perfectly serious.

"But—" Falco started to speak, then stopped, unsure of how to say what he was thinking.

"I'm the perfect choice," she insisted, eyeing Falco. "Think about it. Who is going to suspect someone like me to be a spy? Who's going to expect I'd be a Jedi-in-training—"

"A Jedi Knight," Kyp interrupted quietly.

"What?"

"Who's going to expect you to be a Jedi Knight."

Sapharin stared at him as though he'd abruptly begun dancing the tango. "Excuse me?"

"You go into this as Jedi Knights, all of you. I'm sorry that there isn't a formal ceremony, but if you're interested in that, I'm sure Luke'll handle that when we return to Yavin IV," he said. His eyes twinkled with amusement as his words began to soak into the minds of those around him.

Everyone smiled, not sure what to say about this "promotion."

Wide-eyed, Sapharin still said, "Alright. No one's going to expect _me _to be a _Jedi Knight _let alone being daring enough to infiltrate them."

"Fine, but you shouldn't go in alone," Z'Trooper said. "I'll go with you. Anyone on-planet can attest to the fact that I'd be too hard-headed to be a candidate for the Sith!"

Ebony hid her chuckle behind her hand. She winked at her friend knowingly. A thought occurred to her though from what he'd just said. Leaning forward from where she sat, Ebony suggested, "What if a couple of us tried to infiltrate their training camp?"

Everyone fell silent, gaping at Ebony, but silently considering her idea.

"I'm thinking that if we spied, we could gain insight into what they are doing to people here and we might learn of their overall agenda," she added.

"Only thing is that they'd see right through you," Kyp said. "They'd recognize Jedi."

Z'Trooper pointed at Ebony. "Anyone who knows her would know she could play Sith," he teased.

She made a face back at him.

Talon said, "Master Durron's right. Even if you could get through, I don't know that any of us could withstand what the Sith likely do to their trainees and remain sane, much less Jedi. Besides, by the time any spy could reach a point of being trusted with top-secret information, it'd be too late."

Falco had remained fairly quiet, both stunned by their promotion and on account of trying to figure out his place in their plans. When he finally did contribute, he said, "As good as I am with technology, I'm going to be able to help sabotage the Sith's efforts. Even though they can bring their own technology down here, you know they are going to use mostly resources we have on-planet, making their trained Sith use what's familiar here. That gives us the advantage because – duh – we know how to use it too! I can use anyone's help. We can intercept communications, or disrupt their power supplies! The possibilities are endless!"

"Then let's do it."


	10. Chapter 10

**The Jedi Adventure  
**--sparkvallen

_Original characters belong - of course - to Lucasfilm and used for entertainment purposes only. Other characters are based on real personages and are used for entertainment purposes too! _

**Chapter Ten**

Aboard the Sith capital ship…

"Everything is proceeding as planned, m'lady."

A cruel, knowing smile passed over the rouged lips of the Sith. Lady Raefen glanced out the corner of her brown eyes and gazed upon her most prized apprentice, Darth Demetra. "Very good, my apprentice. Soon we will have this world fully under our control."

"And I will rule this world," Demetra replied softly, wonder in her voice.

Raefen turned to face her pupil fully. Of similar wiles and ambition, Demetra had proven to be the most capable of all the Sith adepts that had been indentured into service. She had risen above the rest and showed Raefen that not only was she capable with the Force but she was willing to do whatever was necessary in the campaign on her own homeworld.

"Yes… you will rule here as _I_ rule the galaxy," Raefen reminded.

"Of course, m'lady," Demetra replied. "What would you have me do now?"

Raefen looked back out the viewscreen at the blue and white world they orbited. She voiced a soft "Hmm…" as she touched the Darkside of the Force. Beside her, Demetra remained quiet and attentive as she waited out her Mistress.

"I sense… something. A change to the world below. Do you sense it in the Force, my apprentice?"

Demetra rose a delicate eyebrow, looking out the viewport and trying to sense what Lady Raefen spoke of. In truth, she found her teacher quite unstable in being mad with power; she would hardly voice this, however, taking mental notes and looking for Raefen's weaknesses.

"No, m'lady, but you are stronger with the Force than me."

Raefen nodded absently, her gaze trained on the world beneath them. "Go down to the surface, Darth Demetra, and ensure that all is well. Or remedy the situation if you find unrest."

"Yes, Mistress, of course."

"I want to make a visit to the holding ship," Raefen continued, almost speaking to herself.

Demetra shrugged inwardly at this. "It is a foul place. The Darkside is strong there because those who resist are desperate and angry, but they're unfocused."

"Something… someone. Go, my apprentice, and do my bidding."

Dismissed, Demetra strode away from the command deck. The lesser Sith and slaves who manned the ship averted their gaze as Raefen's apprentice proceeded to the turbolifts with the hangar bay as her destination.

* * *

"May the Force be with the both of you," Spark said to Z'Trooper and Sapharin.

The two new Jedi Knights were dressed in the clothes of their homeworld once more, looking as ordinary as possible. Their lightsabers were stowed safely in backpacks they were both carrying, leaving them to like simple travelers. Their journey would take them into the city where the Sith "recruiters" would find them and then contain them.

Sapharin nodded. She had been very quiet since announcing her plan and having it eventually affirmed by her companions. Z'Trooper patted her shoulder. "We'll be safe."

Without another word, the duo set off toward the city limits, leaving the other Jedi behind. Being Force sensitive, they knew they'd be identified quickly - Talon and Falco's reconnaissance had taught them that much. They only had to refuse to join the Sith and their campaign. The "recruitment" center was a converted office building. Saph and Z'Trooper had no actual intention of entering - the Force sensitive Sith authorities would sense them, especially since they were trained Jedi compared to everyone else on their homeworld.

"So, why are you doing this?" Sapharin asked.

Z'Trooper gave her a look of quiet surprise. "I'm sorry?"

"Why did you volunteer to accompany me on this mission?"

Z'Trooper regarded Sapharin for a moment, knowing what she was thinking. He was know empathy, but he knew just the same. "If you're thinking this is about your physical state, you're wrong," he replied.

Sapharin raised a dark eyebrow. "Oh?"

He nodded, realizing he'd bulls-eyed the Tatooine womp-rat. "You have the people skills to rally the Force sensitives' who were taken prisoner. I have the technical skills to cause additional trouble for the fleet. And," he said with a wink, "you can back me up if things get heated."

Sapharin smiled, not having considered Z'Trooper's technical acumen. "Do you think I can convince them to help us?"

"Do _you_?"

She scrunched up her face at him for turning the question back at her. Sapharin nodded after a moment. "As much as I would want to say no, that someone else must be more qualified than me, I can do this. Maybe because I have to."

Z'Trooper half-smiled. "We have all come a long way, haven't we?"

"We have," Sapharin replied.

"Come from where?"

The two Jedi Knights paused in mid-stride. Looking over their shoulders, a uniformed Sith officer stood with his gray eyes regarding them. _This was it_, they both thought. Sapharin put on her warmest smile as she looked back at the Sith, letting go of her revulsion at the sight of a man who had helped to betray their homeworld.

"Good afternoon, Sir," she said cheerfully. "We were just speaking of how we've walked several miles since our car was out of gas. We've come a long way."

"M-hmm."

Z'Trooper waited a moment then asked, "Is there a problem, Sir?"

The Sith officer in his black uniform frowned. "Well, it is simply that I am aware you are Force sensitive, the both of you. So I wonder why you're walking from a vehicle that's out of gas when you should have given your allegiance to the Sith _or _be in orbit on the prison ship reconsidering your loyalties."

"Just lucky, I suppose," Sapharin said dryly.

"Indeed. Well, the choice is before you now," he said. "What are you going to do?"

Just as Z'Trooper had done to Sapharin moments before, she now turned the question around on the Sith officer. "Why did _you _do it?"

He tensed, his hand coming up to his holstered blaster. "You're in no position to ask questions. So I ask again, what are you going to do?"

Z'Trooper smiled, ready for the verbal spar. "Was it easy to sell out your family for a position among the Sith?"

The gray eyes of the officer flared with anger as he drew his blaster into his hand, pointing it at Z'Trooper.

Matter-of-factly, Sapharin said, "I think you have our answer."

After Z'Trooper and Sapharin had departed, the remaining Jedi had only to begin their critical strikes. Talon and Falco had lain out a strategy to wreak havoc for the Sith ground forces by targeting bases, ammo dumps and communication arrays that had been constructed. Working in two teams, the Jedi utilized the best of their skills to began toying with the Sith and their ability to maintain control over at least the region. If Sapharin and Z'Trooper were successful, they would soon have additional recruits to aid the cause. For now, one team was made up of Spark, Ebony and Talon; the second unit was Kyp, Joni and Falco so that technical, mediation and lightsaber combat skills were evenly distributed among the teams.

It wasn't long before all of those skills were being utilized in full either.

Spark growled under her breath as they retreated from a successful strike. She was under Ebony's defensive cover with the lightsaber as her friend kept she and Talon safe.

"What was that?"

"Just that I can think of 1000 other scenarios that would be more fun than this," she replied.

As Talon backpedaled and used the Force to dodge what blaster shots slipped through Ebony's defensive posture, he hollered back, "There is something more fun than this? Come on!"

With the central communications center destroyed for the region now, the Sith's ability to relay messages from one recruit center or base to the next was severely impaired. Given that the Sith were unfamiliar with the "primitive" technology of their homeworld, the Jedi were also able to cause problems with what was incredibly basic to them. With both teams, both Falco and Talon were managing to make computer systems go haywire: traffic lights, nighttime lamps and other powered system were soon disrupted, frustrating those under Sith control, which then impacted the Sith's ability to rule as uprisings began as well.


	11. Chapter 11

**The Jedi Adventure  
**--sparkvallen

_Original characters belong - of course - to Lucasfilm and used for entertainment purposes only. Other characters are based on real personages and are used for entertainment purposes too! _

**Chapter Eleven**

"M'Lady?"

Darth Demetra had been staring at a monitor within a secure bunker. She stared dumbstruck at the trio of Jedi that had been caught on recording before the blonde woman destroyed the camera that had been tracking them. A blonde woman. With a lightsaber. She couldn't believe what she was seeing. Not only did she _know _the woman, but she saw that Spark had been among the chosen that the Jedi had taken to Yavin IV.

"Well. Isn't this just freakin' ducky!"

"M'Lady?" the officer behind her repeated.

She whirled in her seat and shot crimson tendrils of Force lightning from her palms. Demetra smiled and purred seductively as the tendrils writhed around her as well before dissipating.

"Anyone else want to push me?" she snapped.

None of the technicians so much as looked in her direction. Satisfied, she turned back to the recording. Demetra knew that Lady Raefen would be similarly displeased with this development: where there was one Jedi, there were three. Where there were three, there were _sure _to be more. While the Sith operated from a Master-Apprentice _only _system, the Jedi flourished like bunnies.

"Where was this recorded?" Demetra wanted to know.

"About 600 miles southwest of here, Mistress Demetra," one of the officers replied without looking over at her.

Smiling, she stood and caressed the speaker's cheek with her fingers. He shuddered under her touch, fearing Force Lightning being zapped into his skull. Demetra laughed, feeling his fear and feeding on it. Toying with the lightsaber hilt in the palm of her hand, Demetra re-sheathed it in her customized sheath that hung off her thigh, matching the one on her opposite leg.

"Ready a transport for me. I'll deal with these Jedi myself." _Oh yes, I will, _she thought. _What a way for us to come face-to-face, but I cannot let Spark or any of her 'friends' stand in my way…_

"Yes, M'Lady."

* * *

"Here we go then…" Z'Trooper muttered under his breath.

The comment, even so quiet, earned him a knock to the back of the head by the trooper's rifle butt. He rubbed his hand to his head and frowned. Sapharin remained silent and looked straight ahead, working through a meditation to get her through the ordeal of riding up to the prison ship. She was as uncomfortable as Z'Trooper was physically having had her arms shackled behind her back for her earlier insubordination.

The transport's journey was quick enough, but that only meant that the mission was coming to its crux. The Jedi had already had their backpacks containing their lightsabers confiscated upon their capture. Now, aboard the ship in orbit over their world, Sapharin and Z'Trooper were separated and relegated into pens designated by gender.

_/Force be with you, Sapharin. I'll do what I can here too./_

Sapharin nodded through the Force to Z'Trooper, her face a mask of cold determination. She knew that he would do everything in his power on the opposite side of the ship just as she would among the Force sensitive women who had resisted the Sith's persuasions.

"In here, little one," barked the cruel voice of one of her Sith guards.

Saph stumbled as she was shoved into the common area for the women. She wondered at the fact that non-Force sensitives were responsible for guarding those who were. Months ago, there would never have been such a distinction of people, but to Sapharin now, it was abundantly clear. Her fellow prisoners had such a glow about them in the Force that her captors did not. Despite her bumps and bruises, the Jedi Knight couldn't help but smile because she saw this as a great advantage to their plan.

Though she and Z'Trooper independently kept track of time, it was hard to say how accurate they were able to be as the hours had begun to drag by. The prisoners, the Jedi learned, spent most of their time in the common areas which was exceedingly convenient for the mission. Sapharin had only been in the common area a short time when her natural charisma began attracting the attention of the other prisoners.

"You don't seem like the rest of us," one tall and broad woman finally ventured, sitting down beside her.

"That so?" she asked mildly.

The woman nodded. "Myrna. And yeah, you seem different somehow. It's not a matter of having seen the sun or having strength because you just arrived. What is it?"

Sapharin smiled. _This is going to be too easy. _

"We're held captive by the Sith. Who opposed the Sith in the films?" she asked.

"In the what?" Myrna replied.

Saph reconsidered the ease of this, if she kept to this tactic. If the woman or many of them were unfamiliar with the fiction, rallying them based on it would be useless. "Nevermind - you are right that I'm different. I've had the chance to be trained the very things the Sith find interesting about all of you."

This caught Myrna's attention as well as those close-by. "What do you mean? You're one of them then?"

Sapharin shook her head no. Patiently, she explained how there were the Jedi who sought to defend and assist others and then Sith who sought to control and exploit people. She explained how she was the former and not the latter. The women listened with rapt attention: before them sat hope!

"In you all is the power to turn the tide of this occupation, this battle," she said emphatically. Saph's brown eyes looked from one woman to the next. "I can teach you the simplest skills that will allow us to overcome our captors _here _and then we can go back to the surface to stop the Sith!"

"What if we just want out of here and don't want to be involved?" a woman asked.

Sapharin pursed her lips, thinking. She had to tread this carefully - it would be wonderful to free everyone, but having their help was a critical component of stopping the occupation. Perhaps some of them could even become Jedi. Saph thought carefully how to respond.

"If you choose to remove yourself from the conflict once we're free and back to the surface, that is your choice," she said eventually. "However. It will be your conscience you have to live with while the rest of us make a stand to see that _everyone _is free and safe. I am hardly threatening you - these are just the simple facts of the matter."

There was a murmur among the women captives at her words. Myrna became the voice of the prisoners as she responded to Saph. "I speak for all of us in saying that at least for right now, we're with _you_, Jedi Sapharin!"

On the port side of the vessel, Z'Trooper knew he was not going to have the persuasive speaking skills that would rally the male captives in the way that Sapharin would have been able to convince them. They couldn't have known they would be separated by gender as they had been.

Sitting with his face in his hands in the common room on his side of the ship, Z'Trooper contemplated exactly how he was going to fulfill his end of the mission. Men being men, if they noted an intuitive difference about him, they weren't about to voice it; instead, everyone just gave Z'Trooper a wide berth, leaving him be as he sat there.

Finally, he asked one passerby, "So what are you going to do now?"

The man's surprise was palpable. "Excuse me? You talkin' to me?"

Z'Trooper turned in his seat. "Yeah. You're just going to lie down and die now, aren't you? It was good to resist the Sith - very good, in fact - but what are you going to do now?"

Hesitation etched itself on his face. "Well, we're trapped so what kinda dumb question is this?"

Z'Trooper smiled knowingly. "What if I could tell you I know a way out of here?"

"Didn't you just arrive?"

"Captured for this purpose."

"Are you serious! What the heck would you do that?"

Z'Trooper said simply, "Because this is my calling. Now. Are you ready to help me with this?"

"Carl." The burly man thrust out his hand in a handshake. Z'Trooper took his hand and felt the Force vibrating strongly in him. He had to wonder at that - before leaving for Yavin IV, none of this had been conscious in him. Now…

"Carl, Z'Trooper. Let's get to work. Do you know the others around here well? I want to pitch to them logically why they need to use the gifts the Sith want from them."

As Lady Raefen's shuttle arrived aboard the vessel and she disembarked, the Sith Mistress spat in disgust. She knew this was more potent than just the sense of a gathering of strong-headed Force users. Raefen strode in her high-heeled boots down the white-washed corridors of the Sith vessel; she reached out with her Darkside powers, seeking out the power she could feel, just as the two Jedi aboard her prison ship incited the quickly-trained Force adepts to action.


	12. Chapter 12

**The Jedi Adventure  
**--sparkvallen

_Original characters belong - of course - to Lucasfilm and used for entertainment purposes only. Other characters are based on real folk and are used for entertainment purposes too! )_

**Chapter Twelve**

**Sith Prison Vessel**

Much like how their Jedi Master had been first trained, Z'Trooper and Sapharin managed to give the basics of Force use in a matter of hours. It wasn't a matter of understanding philosophy first and building upon that to create a peaceful warrior: it was a matter of creating Force-using warriors and hoping that they would be willing to partake in Jedi philosophy later.

"Like this," Sapharin demonstrated, staying calm and using the Force to levitate the ration bar in front of her.

With caution and awe, the female rebels against the Sith cause effectively "played with their food" by drawing on the Force they'd been imprisoned for. Gasps of surprise and delight at their true abilities manifesting could be heard throughout the modified conference room in which they "trained." Sapharin moved among the women as they practiced with the ration bars, helping certain girls tap into the Force more deeply or find better focus. She would never have imagined herself a teacher in Force use once she had been validated, let alone doing so this quickly!

Similarly, Z'Trooper worked with the male captives, teaching them both about the Force and about the technology of these "futuristic" Sith space-faring vessels. He hadn't quite thought that when he tinkered with R2D2 months back on Yavin IV and asked pertinent questions about hyperspace-capable vessels of the Jedi pilots that such curiosity would come to such use. His matter-of-fact view of things was accessible to the men who'd chosen imprisonment over world domination and his recruits were as ready as they were going to be in the short-term to over-take their captors.

_/Ready when you are/_ Sapharin sent.

_/Ready here/_ Z'Trooper replied.

And the uprising was born. Empowered by the Force, their desire to survive and their need to save their loved ones planet side, the two massive teams overpowered their guards. Sapharin and Z'Trooper were pleased beyond measure as their _presence _seemed to rub off on their cohorts; it was more of a peaceful riot than they could have hoped for! Rather than using their newfound Force abilities for destruction and pain, the men and women took a moral stance and disabled but did not kill. They disabled equipment rather than outright ruining it.

Hurrying with the crowds as they worked their ways through both corridors and conduits of the vessel, the Jedi and their colleagues had the main command deck as their destination. Take the ship and another host of opportunities presented themselves! If, that is, they could get there.

"I _knew _there was a reason I wanted to come up and see the pathetic weaklings!" Raefen actually laughed.

Her laughter was as chilling as her display with the Force, hurling several of the men and women out to oppose her against the sturdy bulkheads. Sapharin and Z'Trooper stared in shock at the sight before them. Not only was this woman clearly a master of the Darkside of the Force, but she was also a complete body double for Sapharin herself! Staring, the brown eyed-Sapharin looked at a woman who was her height and build, with an identical face and hair… all excepting the cold blue eyes that stared back at her.

"Holy moly," Z'Trooper whispered. "We've entered a new dimension… the Twilight Zone perhaps?"

Sapharin didn't reply. She simply gawked at the Sith woman who was her look-a-like.

"What a _dreadful _fashion sense you have, little Jedi!" Raefen exclaimed, recovering her voice first. Her surprise was just as clear, however.

"Funny. I was going to say the same thing about you!" Sapharin retorted, unable to believe what she was seeing.

"Um."

Sapharin glanced at Z'Trooper out the corner of her eye. Her hand had already drifted to where her lightsaber _should have been_. They were on their way to recover their confiscated backpacks that contained their lightsabers.

"Um, indeed," she agreed.

Raefen cackled, raising her hands toward the ceiling as Force Lightning burst from her palms. She turned them down and toward the pair of Jedi. They were but a split-second quicker than the Sith though, both diving out of her range as the lightning bolts shot down the corridor.

_/Get to the command deck/_ Sapharin sent urgently to Z'Trooper_. /I'll hold her off./_

_/With WHAT/ _he replied, incredulously.

Sapharin stared across the corridor as seconds ticked by. _/GO./_

There was something in her tone through the Force that compelled Z'Trooper into action. Biting down on his lower lip, the Jedi Knight sprung backward and to an access panel. Like many of the imprisoned, he was going to innovate a route to their stores and to the command deck as planned.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are!" Raefen taunted as she sauntered up the corridor. "You can't hide forever!"

With Z'Trooper safely tucked into the inner workings of the ship, Sapharin felt more secure that splitting up would actually work. She rose to her feet and took a deep breath, drawing the Force in and her anxiety _out_. Reciting the Jedi Code and remembering with some fondness the afternoon spent at the river with he fellow trainees, Sapharin accepted her present situation and went out to meet Lady Raefen.

Z'Trooper gnashed his teeth, hating himself for leaving her and hating her for forcing him to go. He was immobilized within the access corridor for the Sith vessel, knowing what he had to do but fearing for Sapharin just the same. _There is no emotion, there is peace_, he thought and like his partner, thought of the spirited discussion on those very words so long ago.

And he was in motion. Having learned the layout of the vessel as they were brought aboard, Z'Trooper could intuit well enough where the room was that held their lightsabers. He wasn't going to leave Sapharin any more unarmed than he was barging into the command deck without a lightsaber. Hurrying as quickly as possible through the narrow walking space, Z'Trooper smiled darkly as he found the very location he was seeking. Coming in from _this _angle was not what the officers and guards would expect; he was able to unhinge the access panel and creep into the room undetected. Unbeknownst to him, the guards were already indisposed with a few well-placed and Force-powered kicks by his cohorts.

Z'Trooper was able to find and spirit away both of their lightsabers. He clipped his and Sapharin's to his pants so that it wouldn't be lost, then retraced his steps through the access shaft to reach the Jedi Knight had had left behind.

* * *

**Below, on their homeworld…**

"Can you do this any slower, Falco?" Kyp barked over his shoulder.

As he spoke, the Force guided his hands to deflect a quick burst of blaster-fire that came their way. Beside him, Joni was doing the same with his lightsaber.

"Well, I _could_… but I'd need the wrong tools, a manual written in Ewokese and you know how hard it is to get that combination!" Falco replied, smiling though his words were clearly sarcastic.

Joni shook his head at the banter, clearing his mind and trusting the Force to guide his hands and lightsaber through a series of complicated blocks. They had taken an awful chance at making a strike at this particular base. It had been easy enough to gain entry with the knowledge of the Sith that Kyp possessed and the technical skill that was natural to Falco. Getting the job done and getting back _out _was what was proving to be a problem.

"Wait… I've got it!" Falco shouted, triumph clear in his tone.

"Good. Can we go now?" Kyp asked.

"Oh wait. Damn, not good!"

"What?"

Falco didn't answer though as he reached back into the control panel of the droid he hovered over. His face was a mask of concentration as he sought to bring the droid back online with modified programming; it would attack anyone _without _a lightsaber. Had he not caught the last error, however, it would have been just the opposite and they would have been immediate targets. The trick had worked in other Sith outposts they'd infiltrated in the past several days, creating chaos and havoc where they went. It would have been fine this time if he'd had just a bit more time!

"Okay, we're golden now. Get it?"

Joni's sigh was audible this time, knowing the pun concerned the color of the droid in question. "Just get Goldenrod there online!"

"We are so in business," Falco said with undisguised pleasure in his voice. "Clear the way, gentlemen!"

A hum and a whirr startled them all as the droid rebooted and came to "life." Quickly advancing on its golden claws, it stepped between Kyp and Joni then _charged _their attackers.

"See, told you I could do it."

"Nice, save the victory speech 'til we actually out of here, hm?" Kyp replied. He kept his lightsaber activated, its yellow blade shimmering under the lights; the Jedi Master nodded toward the corridor they'd been previously trying to traverse and the trio was in motion again, following the trail cleared by Falco's rabid droid.

Elsewhere, Ebony, Talon and Spark were tucked into what somehow remained a coffee bar despite the Sith's occupation. Spark had endless jokes despite the gravity of their work that even a Sith couldn't resist a good cup of coffee! Like their companions, the trio had managed several very successful strikes against the Sith outposts. Chaos reigned among those bases and communication arrays - the ground forces were unable to communicate with each other or with the ships in orbit.

"This is going better than we could have hoped for!" Talon whispered, pleased.

"I wonder how it's going for Sapharin and Z'Trooper though," Ebony replied, her expression pensive.

"Fine. I can feel it."

She and Spark gazed at the much younger Talon who bore wisdom beyond his years; it was clear in his eyes and how he carried himself. They didn't doubt him at all as he spoke so certain of the duo who'd been willingly captured.

With a scrap of paper, he jotted down several other locations they could recon and disable while they took this momentary break to sip strong and sweet coffees. Spark's gaze turned back to the windows where she'd been watching the down-trodden locals as they struggled to accept that their world had been invaded by magic-wielders from outer space.

"Something's wrong," she said suddenly, a quiet overcoming her that had nothing to do with sound.

"I don't feel any--" Ebony started to say as she set down her mug.

Spark held up a hand for silence as she reached into the Force. Without another word, the Jedi Knight stood and made her way for the door, her hand coming to her lightsaber.

"Oh good god!"

Spark bowed her head as she walked out the door, knowing exactly who the speaker had been in the street. "Dee. Please tell me you're joking. _Please _tell me this is a joke."

She raised her head just as Talon and Ebony rushed outside. Darth Demetra tsk tsk'd them all and looked knowingly at Spark. "Sorry, Sparkler, this is _exactly _what it looks like."

"You know her?" Talon exclaimed, seeing Demetra for the Sith she'd become.

Spark only nodded. "Why, Dee?"

"Looks like you and your buddies here weren't the only ones to be Force sensitive and get this chance!" she shouted, pain clear in her tone. "I could have gone too! But no! You left me behind. Left me _here _to rot. Alone!"

"Dee, I--"

"Stuff it, Sparkler! I don't want to hear any pathetic excuses. I've made my choice and instead of playing Jedi with all of you, I'm going to rule this stupid world."

"Not if we have anything to say about that, you won't," Talon said.

Forgetting all about Spark for the moment, Demetra walked right past her and approached Talon. Running a manicured nail down his cheek, his neck and to the center of his chest, the Sith apprentice smiled and looked back to Spark.

"I thought I was the one with a thing for young ones," she purred.

Talon leapt away from her and closer to Ebony as Spark sighed. "Don't _even _go there," she warned. "Demetra: it doesn't have to be this way. I don't know what your master told you but the Jedi were coming back to find other potential students! Only the Sith got here first!"

"I told you I don't want to hear it. You left me here!" she railed. "You went and left me here!"

Enraged, Darth Demetra shoved Spark hard with the Force. Caught by surprise, the Jedi Knight flew backward and into the storefront across the street.

"Oh, that's it," Ebony snapped, springing to life and igniting her lightsaber as she stormed toward Demetra.

The Sith sent bolts of Force Lightning toward Ebony which she intercepted. Talon's green blade activated to assist in the block. Across the street, Spark was struggling to get to her feet. She touched the back of her head and was relieved that despite how sore she felt, she wasn't bleeding.

"Enough!" she screamed, startling everyone.

Seeing she had their attention, Spark lifted her lightsaber off her belt, then cast it down the street. Her intention to end the fighting was clear with the gesture and her two Jedi friends were certain that she was both crazy and suicidal. Spark held her hands out, showing that they were empty.

"Dee, listen to me. You are my friend. My _clone_, remember?"

"Spark: don't, I--"

"My clone," she repeated. "No matter what. You have to believe that you weren't left behind. We were the guinea pigs in Skywalker's experiment and we were coming back to find other potential Jedi. We were coming back for you and for many others who are now in a prison ship up in orbit."

Demetra's gaze flickered skyward, knowing that Raefen had gone to the very ship that Spark had mentioned. Forming the odd triangle among them all, Talon and Ebony warily deactivated their blades, but simply clipped the hilts to their belt rather than casting them away as Spark had.

"It's too late," Demetra whispered. "I took the route of power because I knew I could do this. I knew this all could be mine."

Spark shook her head. "It's _not _too late. Not if you want a second chance."

Demetra looked at Spark, her long-time friend. How sad was it that this was how they'd finally meet face-to-face? Pitted against each other by a battle that had been forced onto them? Her expression warred between uncertainty and the desire to overtake the Jedi as she'd been trained and commanded.

"But this power…"

"Power _is_. The Force _is_," Ebony said, looking at Spark and then Demetra. "It's what you do with the power you have that makes the difference."

The trio of Jedi was all silently thinking the same words: _What will she do?_

Darth Demetra clipped her own lightsaber back onto her belt. "Do you hate me?"

"Never. Dee, never. What are you going to do?"

A confident smile crossed her lips. She winked at Spark. "I'm going to show you a few tricks so _we _can better rid our world of the Sith."


	13. Chapter 13

**The Jedi Adventure**  
--sparkvallen

_Original characters belong - of course - to Lucasfilm and used for entertainment purposes only. Other characters are based on real folk and are used for entertainment purposes too! _

_**Readers: **Thank you so much for your support, your awesome reviews and "kicks in the muse" over the past several months! -Cath _

**Chapter Thirteen**

"Poor little Jedi clone of mine," Raefen taunted as she circled Sapharin.

Her crimson lightsaber flashed out toward the Jedi Knight several times, not touching her, but simply to show her control and trying to make Sapharin flinch. Sapharin remained strong and seemingly unaffected by the tormented.

"I'm no relation to you," Sapharin responded, her brown eyes flashing with annoyance. "This is just a strange coincidence!"

"Tsk, tsk," Raefen replied, continuing to circle her. Her words were clearly sarcastic, despite being truthful. "Didn't your Jedi Masters teach you that there are no coincidences, only the movements of the Force?"

"Nevertheless."

"Weren't you so bold, coming up here to make ruin my plans…? I'll admit this was a creative plot you hatched, Jedi, but you must realize now that you'll never succeed."

"Your over-confidence is your weakness," Sapharin said firmly. She drew on the Force to make her words strong, even as she again scrambled from the taunting lightsaber.

"Your faith in your friends is yours," Raefen replied. She raised an eyebrow as her blue eyes glinted with menace. "Yes, I realize what the prisoners are _attempting_. Yes, I know there's the other Jedi Knight aboard this vessel who's going to _try_ and undo everything."

Sapharin was resolute. "We'll succeed and you'll eat those words."

"You'll eat my crimson blade, you sniveling Jedi!"

"I don't think so!"

The two women turned toward the sound of the male voice that had spoken. Z'Trooper! His own blade was ignited. Raefen's gaze darkened as she glared at him. With a broad, triumphant smile, he lobbed Sapharin's lightsaber to her where she crouched unsteadily on the floor. Sapharin had her bright blue blade extended as the hilt touched her palm; rising to her feet, she and Raefen were suddenly equally matched.

"Now GO!" Saph shouted at Z'Trooper.

He raised his blade in salute and bolted for the command deck; Z'Trooper already had heard that the prisoners had nearly breached the security doors so it was only a matter of time now.

Sapharin looked to Raefen. "You were saying…?"

And the duel had begun. Enraged at the now equal playing field, Raefen struck first, swinging her blade quickly and with force at Sapharin's midsection. Sapharin smile as she relaxed into the Force's embrace; her wrists twisted expertly to block the blade and force it aside.

"Impressive, most impressive," Raefen said, half-serious.

"I paid attention in class." Sapharin launched forward, pushing with upper body strength to drive her blue blade at Raefen's shoulder.

The Sith side-stepped and quickly brought her blade back around in a slash toward the Jedi's neck.

_Well, this will be interesting_, Sapharin thought as the duel raged on.

* * *

Planetside, Ebony and Talon stared with surprise at the exchange between Spark and the woman whom they had initially known as Darth Demetra. Having anticipated battle considering the blast of Force Lightning they'd blocked, the two Jedi were shocked and a touch disbelieving when Spark had talked Dee down from the Sith path.

Ebony and Talon exchanged glances, and then Ebony finally asked loud enough for all to hear, "Can she be trusted?"

Demetra raised a delicate eyebrow and looked back at Ebony. "She doesn't pull any punches, now does she, Sparkler?"

Spark held her breath a moment, feeling entirely caught. Both were her friends and the animosity and distrust she sensed through the Force were unnerving. Closing her eyes, she drew on the Force for calm and inner strength - finally, she exhaled and looked at Demetra as she answered Ebony: "She's trustworthy."

Her word was enough for Ebony and for Talon. Their understanding spiraled through the Force to Spark and to Dee. From Dee was nothing but quiet gratitude - she smiled softly.

"Shall we, then?"

Spark nodded and the trio of Jedi fell in step with Dee, leaving the battleground of their near-duel. Demetra obviously had a destination in mind but nothing more was immediately spoken. They proceeded through the city, citizens even more wary now to see _four _Force users together; unsure whether they were friend or foe, the locals opted to avoid contact at all than run the risk of coming up against a Sith.

Talon moved up to walk alongside Demetra. Giving her a sidelong smile, he studied the twin sheaths for her lightsabers. Pointing at them for a moment, he said, "Pretty cool. Unique, at least."

She smiled wryly at the young man's compliment. Demetra considered the traditional robes of the Jedi and laughed. "One thing you can say for the Sith is that they have a far better fashion sense than the Jedi."

Ebony's smile was forced - she looked at Spark who shrugged. "What are you going to become now, Demetra?" she asked.

Dee slowed as she thought about her answer. What did she become now? Lady Raefen would kill her outright for his ultimate betrayal. But could she become a Jedi like these three?

"There's always hope," Talon said, as though he sensed her thoughts.

Dee nodded and replied to Ebony. "There's always hope for a better life."

"What's our actual plan now?" Ebony asked, persisting.

"Contact your other team of Jedi. Tell them to call off their strikes," she said. "They're just going to get themselves killed if they keep hassling the Sith sites. We'll destroy the Sith from the inside."

Talon made comlink contact with Joni as they continued to walk. He quickly explained the turn of events and how the fallen Sith was going to assist them.

"There should be back-up from the Jedi and the New Republic on its way," Spark offered. "Navigating the black holes and anomalies in space to get here is something else."

"So I've heard," Dee said, her voice cool suddenly.

"Haven't been away from here?"

She shook her head no. "The Sith arrived, I was lured in and here I've remained." Changing the subject, Demetra asked, "You had a team go to the prison ship too, didn't you?"

Thoughts turned toward Sapharin and Z'Trooper. Ebony asked, warily, "How did you know that?"

"My… Lady Raefen had insisted on going to the prison ship. I couldn't understand why," she divulged. "She must have sensed a disturbance there, just as she anticipated your activities here."

Talon blanched visibly. He stopped walking altogether and stared at Demetra. "Our friends… our fellow Jedi are up there--" Talon looked to skyward, "--with a fully trained Sith Mistress?"

Demetra nodded, reluctantly. "Yes."

* * *

As the very duel that Talon and Demetra had just inferred raged on in the corridors of the prison ship, Z'Trooper and the Force users thrust their way onto the command deck. The rush of adrenaline and desperation fueled their efforts as the newly trained used their powers to hurl flight officers away from their stations. Z'Trooper charged in with his lightsaber blazing.

"Take me to your leader!" he cried out.

His cohorts paused for a moment and gaped at him.

Z'Trooper couldn't hold back a smile, then a shrug. "I've always wanted to say that…"

With the overwhelming number of Force users who'd stormed onto the deck, it wasn't terribly difficult to overtake the Sith officers. Z'Trooper's work in creating technological havoc had paved the way to their success on the bridge.

"Sir, an incoming message from the planet!"

Z'Trooper turned, a frown lining his features. He looked to Carl who looked at the Sith comm. officer. "Um. Who's calling?"

"A Jedi Ebony and, well, who we knew as Darth Demetra," the comm. officer replied.

"_Darth_ Demetra?" he shouted. "If she's taken Ebony hostage, I swear I'll--!"

Z'Trooper's threat was lost in Carl's voice which overpowered his harsh tone. "Z'Trooper! It was Ebony who initiated contact. They have a plan for us to put into motion!"

He flushed slightly red at jumping to conclusions_. Of course Ebony could out-fight a Sith to get access codes or whatever was needed!_ he thought.

"Then what is the call about?"

"They've worked out a communication to send from this vessel where Lady Raefen is," Carl reported. "To announce a retreat!"

"A retreat?" Z'Trooper was truly puzzled. "But aren't we supposed to…"

"That's what Ebony says. Explicitly."

"Oh, hang on." Z'Trooper marched over to the comm. console to speak to her directly.

Carl obliging stepped out of the Jedi's way and turned to assisting his fellow former prisoners in keeping watch over the Sith officers they had just taken.

"Z'Trooper, this is for real. The Sith who had been groundside was someone Spark knew," Ebony explained quickly. "She walked away from her path and is assisting us by turning the Sith on their head. You need to send out the coded message to the rest of the fleet _and _to the ground forces to order a retreat."

"How do you know this ex-Sith can be trusted?" he wanted to know.

"Because Spark trusts her. She trusted her with her life and the woman came through. I trust Spark so I'm willing to trust Demetra," Ebony replied. "Now, please. Send the message as this Raefen--"

"Raefen! Oh my gods, Sapharin!" Z'Trooper cried. "I left her with the Sith!"

"You _what_?" came four anxious voices through the comlink.

"She insisted! Look: there's no time to explain all of this for sure now," he said. "The message is on its way to the fleet and forces in moments and hopefully, the New Republic and Skywalker are on their way. Z'Trooper out."

* * *

"You're tiring…" Raefen observed.

"You're annoying," Sapharin replied. If she was weary at all, it was from the Sith Mistress' never-ending barrage of verbal taunts.

The duel continued, neither giving ground enough to press their attack far enough to over-power the other. For all purposes, the look-a-like women seemed equally matched for Force powers and lightsaber skill. They were at a stalemate.

"You can't win this. How do you expect a rag-tag bag of prisoners and you two Jedi to pull this off?"

Saph smiled a knowing, victorious sort of smile. Her brown eyes lit up with delight as she jabbed viciously at Raefen. "Because… we may have learned detachment, but we haven't forgotten how to _love_! We love our homeworld and our families!"

Raefen faltered and Sapharin pressed her offensive harder, forcing the Sith backward until she was nearly pinned between herself and the bulkhead.

"You're… you're from here?" Raefen's thoughts immediately went to her apprentice, Demetra.

"Yes, _you_ attacked _our_ world!"

If the Jedi could get so riled up and territorial about their world, Raefen began to seriously worry about Demetra. What would the toll be on her as this war raged on? Would her Sith Apprentice remain loyal to her, or would she end up defending her homeworld in the end?

Raefen's questions were answered by the blaring klaxon of an announcement to withdraw and to retreat. It was over the ship-wide communication system; the Sith Mistress knew she'd been betrayed and that Demetra had to have provided the very authorization codes that would send ground forces scattering and the fleet out of the system! Her throat erupted in a scream as she attacked Sapharin with renewed gusto, her strikes wild and aimless as rage coursed through her system.

She was strong but out of control. Sapharin parried and blocked until Raefen had left herself open for one very quick thrust. Impaled on the blue lightsaber blade, Raefen screamed until she had nothing left in her to voice. Sapharin stepped back and the Sith crumpled to the ground. The Jedi Knight stared down in anguished horror at her counterpart as she breathed her last, saying not another word.

Only Z'Trooper's heavy-booted run up the corridor broke her from her staring at the corpse. "Saph! You're alright!" he shouted, shaking her by the shoulders.

"Killed her, I did…" Her voice was hollow.

Z'Trooper nodded, his expression suddenly solemn. "I'm sure you had little choice, Sapharin. This is the nature of the path we've elected to walk - we knew it, but living it now is a little different."

She forced herself to look away. Sapharin reclipped her deactivated hilt to her belt.

"We have to go _now_. the ships are going to go into lightspeed and we don't want to be on here when they get to wherever they are going," Z'Trooper said, guiding her up the corridor to the escape pods.

"The others?"

"Already started evacuating once I gave the signal to the fleet."

She nodded, numb. "Spark, Falco and everyone…?"

Z'Trooper half-smiled as he urged her into one of the escape pods. He crawled in beside her, Carl and Myrna who had led the prisoners into revolution. "Everyone's fine and you'll never believe who has been helping them down there."

"Who?"

"Raefen's apprentice. In all of this, they managed to turn someone back from the Darkside!"

* * *

The New Republic fleet arrived with many of the Jedi Order aboard its vessels _just _as the Sith fleet jumped to lightspeed. The Republic fleet would surely pursue, being able to chart possible trajectories of their escape. With Raefen dead and Demetra defecting from the Sith, their leadership had been thwarted which would leave the fleet at a loss for a necessary chain of command. The Sith threat was effectively finished at the hands of one who had turned back from the darkness and a handful of newly minted Jedi Knights.

Their reunion was tearful and joyous on their homeworld as the escape pods crash-landed and they vacated the tiny pods for fresh air and familiar surroundings. Empowered by the fact that the Sith had become so scattered, local governments were quick to scrambled to action and take back their land. The rest of the Jedi returned planetside to rendezvous with the new Knights, Demetra and Kyp Durron.

After several minutes of bowing and hugging, Luke Skywalker finally addressed them.

"Jedi, you have done more than we could have hoped for here. You have truly proven yourselves worthy of your Knighthoods," he said, casting a glance at Kyp who had unilaterally approved their promotions. "The fleet will track down the Sith vessels that had fled the system. A world owes you their thanks."

Joni, Falco, Ebony, Talon, Z'Trooper, Spark and Sapharin all bowed. They had survived, had saved the world they called home and lived to tell about it as the first Jedi Knights to come from such a backwater planet.

"They owe their thanks to _her_," Talon said, pointing out Demetra who had been virtually crawling inside herself throughout the impromptu ceremony. "Dee was able to find truth when Spark encountered her. She walked away from the Sith path and provided us with the final keys to vanquishing the Sith threat here."

Corran Horn stepped in front of Dee. Nearly a head taller than her, the lithe Jedi Master smiled. "Walking away from darkness is no small feat," he said, speaking only to her. "You have our esteem, Demetra."

She blushed, but her eyes were sparkling as she stared back at him. "Please. Why don't you call me Dee…?"

Spark laughed, knowing just by knowing Dee what she was saying. She didn't nearly need the Force for that!

"What… happens now?" Falco finally asked. "I mean… we were in training when we got sent here. And Kyp told us we were Knights. And you just said we were worthy! But… like… what happens now?"

"You'll return to the galaxy as Jedi Knights, guardians of peace and justice, as you've proven yourselves to be," Corran said, his hazel gaze lingering on Demetra before looking back to the Jedi Knights.

"I'm staying here."

Heads turned to gaze upon Ebony. She stared straight-forward at Luke Skywalker, her expression serious and severe.

"So am I," Z'Trooper added.

At this, Sapharin gasped. She thought for a moment of this as a personal slight, that Z'Trooper wouldn't want to keep working with her as such a fine team as she thought they'd made. It was Ebony who spoke up again, explaining though what the two friends were thinking exactly.

"This is our world. And for all that we've learned as Jedi, this is just where we need to be," she said. Z'Trooper nodded in agreement. "There is need for a Jedi presence here just as much as anywhere else in the galaxy and--"

"--and perhaps even more so now that we've been thrust into a position of _knowing_."

Everyone nodded as it made logical sense, despite the impact that as Jedi Knights, their paths would go in different directions. For now though, it was a time for celebration… and with all they had endured over many months, that was enough.


End file.
